Sweet Revenge
by rookiegirl
Summary: Someone from Pete's past is out to get even with him, and what better way than an eye for an eye? Circumstances beyond his control leave Pete wondering if his family and marriage will survive.
1. Chapter 1

This story is co-authored by a1965chameleon and rookiegirl. It is set three years after chameleons' story, 'Personality Plus', and three months after the birth of Pete and Jillian's baby, Clara Rose. Please relax and enjoy the story.

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 1

Copyright © June 2010

_He didn't realize that he'd been followed home. He had no idea that he was being watched; and not just today, but for the last couple of weeks. He had no idea that his calm, perfectly happy little life was about to be rocked beyond his wildest thoughts. He had no idea that his young family was in grave danger. No…Pete Malloy had no idea whatsoever, that soon; very soon, someone from his past would resurface and make his life a nightmarish hell; no, he had not one clue.  
_

* * *

"Mmm, G'morning, Sunshine" Pete had just gotten home from working the midnight shift and he strode over to where Jillian was pacing back and forth, trying to comfort a very cranky Clara Rose. She stopped pacing long enough to be kissed and briefly embraced in Pete's strong, welcoming arms. Pete saw the dark circles under her eyes, and the tired look on her face. "Rough night, Babe?"

Jillian answered first with a wide yawn, then an emphatic 'yes' as she continued to pace back and forth once again when Clara Rose began to fuss again.

Pete reached out and felt Clara Rose's forehead and cheeks with the back of his hand, just as he remembered his mother doing to him when he was a child and didn't feel well. "She doesn't feel feverish." He commented, thankful that the baby's body temperature felt pretty normal.

"I took her temperature a couple of different times and she's not running a fever at all. She's been one unhappy little girl all night long, though. I just have to wonder if she doesn't have a touch of colic."

"Maybe she's trying to cut a tooth?" Pete wondered. "When do they start that, anyway?"

"She's at the right age to start that any day now, and I thought about that, too, but I haven't noticed any excessive drooling and her little gums don't look red and irritated. I just think she's got a little bit of colic."

"Isn't there something that we can we do to help make her more comfortable?"

"I've tried everything I can think of; I tried adding a drop of peppermint to her water, rubbing her little tummy, laying her belly down across my lap; you name it, and I've tried it. A couple of the methods worked for a little bit, and then she'd start in again. I feel so helpless in how to help her."

Pete's heart went out to his wife as he watched her eyes begin to tear up. He held out his arms, "Here, let me give it a shot…you go lay down for a little while."

"Oh Pete, no, you just got off of work. I'll be fine; you go on in and get some rest. After all, you worked all night."

"Now come on, Sunshine…don't argue this point with me, because, as you always say…'You won't win.' Now hand that little bundle over to her papa." Pete reached out and took Clara Rose from Jillian.

Jillian smiled at the site of Pete cradling Clara Rose in his arms. She had stopped crying momentarily as she realized that she wasn't in her mother's arms any longer. She briefly looked up and focused on her daddy's face, then drew her arms and legs in tight to her body before letting out a low, growling and grunting sound. Pete watched as her little face turned beet red, and she scrunched her petite features into an angry scowl. She opened her tiny little mouth and let out an earsplitting scream, startling her daddy and scaring herself. As he continued to watch his baby daughter with fascination, he spoke soothing words to her, bouncing her in his arms as he paced the floor.

Standing close by and watching father and daughter together, Jillian was just about to reach for the little one again when Clara Rose made a very unladylike sound and stopped fussing almost immediately. Pete scrunched up his nose, holding Clara Rose at arms' length, toward Jillian. "Here you go, Sunshine; I think little Clara Rose is wanting her mommy now."

Jillian couldn't help but laugh. As good as Pete was with Clara Rose, dirty diapers were not his thing at all. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for passing the little one off to Jillian whenever the need for a diaper change arose. "Chicken." Jillian teased.

"Huh-uh, not chicken…just cautious."

"Cautious?" Jillian was pulling out the necessary items needed for the task at hand.

"Yeah…that stuff can be lethal for those of us not as experienced at diaper changing."

"Uhm-huh…I hear ya, Pete; just wait, like it or not, one of these days, I will be at the grocery store, or out shopping with Jean and you are going to _have _to do diaper duty on a 'dootied' diaper whether you want to or not. You should be jumping at the chance to practice while I am here to help you."

Pete was laughing, as he watched Jillian make quick work of changing the baby. "No way! I'll take my chances when the time comes. Besides, some things just can't be practiced for…and I can always take care of the shopping if you don't' want to take Clara Rose with you."

Laughing, Jillian picked up the now cooing little girl and handed her off to her daddy once again. "You are absolutely hopeless Pete Malloy; do you know that?" She tossed over her shoulder as she was leaving the room to throw away the soiled diaper and wash her hands.

Pete had sat down on the sofa and was too busy smiling and cooing at his daughter to comment to Jillian, but as she walked out of the room, she heard him say, "Did you hear your mommy? She said that I am hopeless; she's right, you know, I am hopeless…I am hopelessly in love with your mommy and you, my sweet little angel cakes."

Jillian walked back into the room and went over to where Pete was sitting. She looked down at Clara Rose, who had closed her eyes and was drifting happily into dreamland. "Here, Honey, let me take her back and you go get some rest."

"I have a better idea, Sunshine; why don't we put her back down for a little nap and then we'll both lay down. You look like you could use a little more rest, yourself."

"Do you really think that we'll get any rest if I go into our bedroom with you, right now?"

Jillian felt her heart pick up the tempo with each beat, at Pete's next sentence. "Mmm…no…but maybe that's why I want you to join me." His eyes held the familiar twinkle that told her that her husband was feeling a little on the frisky side.

Giggling, Jillian made haste to lock the front door while Pete put the baby down in her crib.

* * *

The phone next to the bed rang loudly. Jillian snapped awake and grabbed it on the second ring so that it would awaken Pete or Clara Rose.

"Hello" she said quietly.

She was met with silence.

Settling back against the pillow, "Hello?" she asked again.

Again, she was met with silence.

"Fine…goodbye, then." She muttered, hanging up the receiver. She rolled over and looked at the clock. It was just a few minutes before noon. Thinking to herself, _I have gotta get up. I had no idea I was that tired! Seems like I am always tired these days; especially with Clara Rose having her days and nights all mixed up. I need to think about putting her on formula so that she will sleep through the night, at least. _Jillian made a mental note to herself to remember to ask the doctor about formula, tomorrow at Clara Rose's appointment.

"Who was that, Sunshine?" Pete asked in a groggy voice, still half asleep.

"I don't know; they didn't say anything. Probably just a wrong number."

"Hmm…" Was Pete's reply as he drifted off again.

Jillian, now wide-awake, decided to take advantage of the quiet house and get a few sorely neglected chores done. She placed a gentle kiss on Pete's lips, then slipped quietly out of bed. After checking on Clara Rose, who was still sleeping soundly, Jillian took a quick shower and dressed for the day.

Clara Rose awoke a short time later and began to fuss about in her crib. It was way passed her normal feeding time so Jillian quickly gathered the little one into her arms and sat down in the rocking chair to nurse her daughter. Just as she got the baby settled in to begin nursing, the phone let out a shrill ring. Jillian quickly got up to answer it so that it wouldn't awaken Pete.

"Hello?"

She was met with silence.

"Hello, is anyone there?" Jillian's tone was a little more brisk as Clara Rose began to fuss; she did not like having her mealtime interrupted.

Again, there was silence, but Jillian could hear the slight sound of breathing so she knew that _someone_ was on the other end of the line.

"Look, if you've got the wrong number, just say so."

Still met with silence, Jillian hung up the phone with a thud.

_Two silent calls in one day; it's gotta be kids, _Jillian thought to herself as she settled down on the sofa, and continued to feed the baby.

Pete had heard the telephone, and the subsequent thud of the receiver being hung up. He rolled out of bed and threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt before going out into the living room, where he paused a moment to watch his wife and daughter.

Slowly he made his way over to the sofa and sat down gently so he wouldn't startle the little one. He put his arm around Jillian and watched in awe as Clara Rose continued to nurse. It was beautiful sight to behold. Jim had told him that once, but, being a bachelor then, it wasn't something that Pete had wanted think about at the time; now he understood.

"Who was on the phone, Sunshine?" He quietly asked, as he leaned in and kissed Jillian lightly on the lips when she turned to answer him.

"Probably just some kids playing. They didn't say anything; all I could hear was a little bit of breathing."

"A heavy breather?" Pete asked, cop instincts kicking in. _Did we have a hang-up earlier, or did I dream that? _He wondered.

"Yeah, right…I should be so lucky." Jillian joked. "No, it wasn't a heavy breather. It was very faint; almost like they maybe dialed the wrong number and were afraid to say anything. That's why I think it was just a kid playing around."

"I see." Pete's mind was replaying the earlier memory. "Are we getting these very often?" He casually inquired. He didn't want to sound too worried, but gut instinct commanded that he probe the situation a little farther.

"No, not really. I mean we've had two of them today; one just before I got up and then the one before you got up just now. Probably just kids, Pete. Didn't you ever make prank phone calls as a kid?"

"No way! My mother would have strung me up by my ears if I'd had even _thought _about doing something like that…Why? Did you?"

"Well…Uhm…yeah…but only on a dare from my brothers." Jillian was quick to add the last part.

Pete laughed at her, "You know, I am really looking forward to our trip to Maine this summer. You seem to have an awful lot of stories about things that _you _did, but they always seem to be your brother's fault. I'm beginning to get _really _curious about just how innocent you really are when it comes to mischief, and I can't wait to sit down and talk with your brothers…you know, just so I can get both sides of the story."

Jillian tried to feign disgruntlement, "Pete Malloy, are you questioning whether or not your devoted and doting little wife would make up stories and pretend to be the innocent victim?" The grin on her face gave it away that, indeed, she was not an innocent victim.

Leaning over to give her another kiss, Pete laughed, "I don't think I am going to answer that, on the grounds that I might just find myself in the doghouse. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go shower and then I am going to take my devoted and doting wife out for an early dinner. Why don't you call Jean and see if she, Jim and Jimmy want to join us."

"Okay; what time do you want me to tell them? And where?"

"How about the Steak House, at say, three o'clock? We'll beat the crowd that way."

"Okay, let me finish up with Clara Rose and then I'll call. Have a good shower, honey."

Pete glanced down at Clara Rose, who had drifted off again, and smiled broadly. "Hmm…I know I could have a _really _good shower if someone wanted to join me under the relaxing spray of the shower head."

"Well, if that's the only way that you will enjoy your shower, then I guess I had better take one for the team and join you, even though I've already showered once today. Just let me get little Miss Clara Rose situated back in her crib, call Jean, and then I'll be in." Jillian's heart did a quick flip, in anticipation. She was so in love with her husband that if he asked her to climb a mountain of hot lava, barefooted, she would have.

"I'll tell you what," Pete reached out and took the baby, "I'll take care of getting her into her crib; you go call Jean and then we'll meet under the shower head; sound good?"

"That sounds heavenly, Pete." Jillian agreed.

* * *

_Hmm…I wonder where they are going? _Pondered the lone figure that was sitting in the black four-door Chevy sedan, parked across the street and three houses down from the Malloy residence.

Watching as Pete carefully placed the baby carrier in the back seat of the mustang, while Jillian stood off to the side, ready to hand off the diaper bag to him, the occupant of the black Chevy mused_, Oh…how convenient…they have a little one. I've been watching him and his wife for the last two weeks…wonder why I didn't notice this little tidbit before? This could change the whole dynamic for what I have planned for Officer Malloy. I had only planned on killing off his wife. Hmm…maybe I need to re-direct my focus…maybe I should just take the kid. That would be enough to totally destroy him; being a cop and not being able to keep his own kid safe…yeah, maybe that's what I'll do…then again, maybe I'll still kill off the little woman, too. _

Had the car been parked any closer to the Malloy residence, Pete and Jillian would have heard the sound of sick and twisted laughter coming from the occupant of the vehicle that had spent many a day parked on their street. As it was, they had no idea that their world would be rocked to the core within in the next few days.

* * *

"Watch me, watch me!" Jimmy cried from his booster seat at the restaurant table, as he tossed a peanut in the air and tried to catch it in his mouth.

"James Reed, Jr. do _not _do that again. Do I make myself clear, young man?" Jean chastised; watching in horror as the aforementioned peanut came to rest in the beehive hairdo of the woman at the next table, causing the woman to shoot daggers at the little boy, as well as the adults at the table with him.

Jim had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing, Pete pretended to find something very interesting to look at on the tablecloth, and Jillian was sure that the dessert menu deserved yet another once over as they waited for their food to be brought out to them. Clara Rose, who Pete was holding at that moment, seemed to be the only one at the table that was taken in by Jimmy's behavior, and she happily cooed and waved her little hands in the air, as if she were his biggest fan at that moment.

"Okey donkey army chonkey" Jimmy retorted, which made it necessary for three of the four adults at the table to cover their mouths and look away. Clearly, Jean was not happy with her little boy's behavior in the least.

"And just where did he learn that at, I wonder?" Pete asked as he grinned at his godson and then at his wife.

Putting on her most innocent look, which she was finding more and more difficult to do around her husband, Jillian shrugged her shoulders, before saying, "I don't know…I don't say that."

Pete gave her the raised eyebrow look, "Come again? I don't think I heard you correctly, Sunshine."

"Quit looking at me like that, Pete; you know that's not what I say." Jillian quickly averted her eyes from her husband's penetrating gaze.

He raised his eyebrows a little higher and cocked his head slightly and Jillian began to feel the heat rising up her neck, and to her cheeks as she stammered out, "I say _okey dokey arti-chokey_…and I certainly never said it to my parents." Then she turned to Jimmy, leaned forward and whispered in a conspiring tone, "Jimmy, you're gonna get your Aunt Jillian in big trouble!" This earned her a big, exuberant laugh from the three and half year old little imp.

Even Jean had to join in the laughter as she watched her friend turn three shades of red. "Say, Jillian, when is Clara Rose's next appointment? Isn't it sometime this week?"

Thankful to the have the subject changed, "Yeah, Jean, it's tomorrow at ten o'clock. Why?"

"Well I was just wondering if you would be available to watch Jimmy in the afternoon. I have a doctor's appointment and I really would rather not take him with me. It's one of _those _appointments…if you get my drift."

Jillian, seeing that Pete and Jim were looking a little uncomfortable, held up her hand to stop Jean from any further details. "Say no more. It's supposed to be nice out, and I am planning on taking Clara Rose out to the park for a little fresh air in the afternoon so I'll just pick up Jimmy first and then head out. I'm sure he'd love to run off some energy on the playground."

"Oh, that'd be great. Thanks a bunch Jillian; I owe you one." Jean declared.

"Wanna go to the park!" Jimmy excitedly clapped his hands and bounced up and down in his seat.

"Tomorrow, big guy." Jim told him.

"Wanna go now!"

"Jimmy, honey, we can't go now. It's gonna be dark pretty soon." Jillian explained.

"Oh." He stuck his lower lip out frowned at her.

"Hey, buddy. If you keep looking at Aunt Jillian like that, you're going to make her sad. You don't want her to be sad, do you?" Pete stated.

"But I just wanna go to the park now…or _I_ be sad." Jimmy explained to his godfather, leaving Pete at a loss for words.

"Jimmy, honey, Aunt Jillian's going to take you to the park tomorrow, okay?" Jean tried again. "Now, here comes your food, how about you sit up straight in your booster chair."

Across the way, a lone figure sat, unnoticed and watching silently, as the waiter delivered the entrées and refilled the drinks for the group of friends. Oblivious that they were being observed, the friends talked and laughed, enjoying one another's company.

_Look at them; just sitting there, all happy and gay. They don't have a clue that I am about to turn their world into a living nightmare…_ "Oh, I'm sorry; Yes, I am ready to order. I'll have the baked chicken breast platter, please…oh, and how about a piece of apple pie for dessert."

"Of course; I'll have your order out shortly. It there anything else that I can get for you?" The waiter asked.

"No, but thank you." The lone figure sat quietly, watching the group interact. _Enjoy your evening tonight, because tomorrow, your nightmare begins._


	2. Chapter 2

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 2

Copyright June 2010

Jillian kissed Pete and handed him a brown-bagged lunch as she walked him to the door. Stretching up to snag one more kiss, "Be careful, honey...I love you. Call me later, if you can and I will fill you in on Clara Rose's checkup."

"You betcha I will, but probably not until lunch, okay?" Pete replied, returning Jillian's kiss and giving her a quick hug. "I love you too, Sunshine. You guys be careful and have fun today at the park."

"You betcha we will." Jillian laughed as she playfully shot Pete's words back at him before closing the door. As she did every time he left for work, she paused to send up a quick prayer that Pete and Jim, along with all of their fellow officers, would have a good day and stay safe from harm.

Jillian crossed the room and looked in the playpen where Clara Rose, already dressed and ready for the day ahead, was lying happily on her back and cooing at the overhead mobile that was mounted on the side. Jillian smiled down at the little girl and was rewarded with a wide, toothless smile; her little arms and legs were flailing in glee. "You are such a happy little one, Miss Clara Rose! How did your daddy and I ever get so blessed with such a sweet little precious bundle?"

Clara Rose continued to smile and gurgle at the mobile animals as she lay in her playpen, waiting for Jillian to get dressed.

* * *

"Man, I hate coming to days after our midnight rotation. It seems like I just sleep most of my day off, get up, eat dinner and then shortly after that, I'm back in bed so I can be rested for work the next day. You'd think they would at least move us to second shift for a week, and then move us to days." Pete listened as Jim droned on about a tired topic. He'd heard the same thing from his partner for the last several years. It was always the same worn out complaint, every time.

"Yeah, Jim, I know. I kind of wish they would just assign us one permanent shift for a set period of time, like say a month…or three. It seems like I just get my body used to a new sleeping habit and then I have to switch again. Guess it goes with the job."

"I know; doesn't mean I have to like it, though." Jim flashed a bright white smile at his partner.

"Nah; you don't…but until the department changes their scheduling policy, you gotta live with it, Junior." Pete replied.

Jim checked his watch, finding that it was only a quarter past ten. He let out a sigh.

"Okay, partner, what gives?" Pete asked. He knew something was on Jim's mind; the sigh had spoken volumes.

"I was just thinking…" Jim trailed off.

_Eh boy, wander what's up now, _Pete mused to himself as he waited for his partner to continue.

"I wish I could go with Jean to her doctor's appointment today."

"I thought it was just a routine checkup?"

"Well, it is…and it isn't. Jean thinks she might be pregnant."

Pete beamed a smile in Jim's direction, "Hey! That's wonderful, Jim. You've gotta be happy about that."

"Oh, we are; we really are." He said in a half-hearted tone.

"Then why the glumness? Jean's feeling okay, isn't she? I mean there isn't any reason to be worried about her carrying this baby, is there?" It was Pete's turn to be concerned.

Jim was quick to assure his partner, "Oh no, it's not that at all. She's in great shape."

"Then what's the problem? You were ecstatic with the idea of having a baby when she was carrying my godson. What's different now?"

Jim was a little embarrassed to have to tell Pete what the problem was. He hem-hawed a bit before blurting out, "Money. It's the money issue. It's always the money issue. I just don't make enough as a patrolman, and Jean's been talking about wanting to find a part-time job a couple of days a week so we can save up enough to look for bigger place. And if we are going to have another baby, we _need_ a bigger place. Only now, if she's already pregnant…well, I just don't know what we're gonna do now." Jim could feel the heat rising up his neck and to his face as he spoke. He stared out of the passenger window, not wanting to look over at Pete. He didn't want pity; but then he really didn't think that it would be pity that Pete would offer, either.

Pete knew he had to tread lightly on this issue. He knew that money had been tight for Jim and Jean ever since Jimmy had come along. Jim's paycheck didn't stretch much farther than the monthly bills, and Pete knew that it had only been recently that Jimmy was potty trained, therefore freeing up a little bit of money saved from not having to buy diapers. He just hadn't realized _how _tight things were for his partner and his family.

"Sorry." Jim said.

"For what? Wanting to unload on friends' shoulders? Don't be Jim. You know you can tell me anything; anytime." Pete's words were precise and matter-of-fact, leaving no room for rebuttal from Jim, who gave a half-hearted, mumbled acknowledgement as he continued to stare out of the window. Jim was hoping that Pete wouldn't push the subject any further, and Pete thinking of ways that he and Jillian might possibly be able to help out with a solution to their friends' dilemma.

_Beep, beep, beep, beep…_went the radio, and then the voice on the other end, _'One Adam-12, One Adam-12; Shoplifter at the Family Grocer, corner of Broadway & Keldare; handle code two.'_

Jim picked up the mic, "One Adam-12, roger." Jim acknowledged the call and the partners rode to the grocery store in silence.

* * *

Pulling up to the corner grocer, Pete parked the squad car and the partners exited and went inside, only to find that the shoplifter was frail little lady of about eighty-five. She claimed that she had left her purse at home and that she was only trying to get cat food for her cat. That was the story that she had told the store manager, Mr. Smith, and he in turned relayed the story to the officers when they arrived.

The shoplifter, Mrs. Banes, had chosen two small cans of cat food, one chicken flavored and one beef flavored; after pocketing them both, she had scurried for the front door, only to be stopped by the manager, who had seen her put the cans in her pocket.

When Pete began to question the elderly woman, she became very teary eyed and quiet, not saying a word.

"Officer Malloy, can I speak with you a moment, please?" The manager asked, as he walked away from where Jim was still standing next to the woman. Pete followed the man to an area about fifteen feet away, out of earshot from the woman.

"Yes, Mr. Smith?" Pete inquired.

"I'd rather not press any charges; you see, I think there's more going on here than meets the eye."

"I'm sorry, I don't follow you, Mr. Smith."

"Well, I called you out here in hopes of maybe getting Mrs. Banes some help. I don't think she has enough money coming in from whatever small amount that she gets from the government each month. Usually around this time each month, she'll come in one or two times a week and buy one or two cans of cat food."

"And?" Pete didn't like where he had a feeling that this was leading. It made his heart ache to know that there were people out there who had little or no food.

"And," the manager continued, "it only seems to be that she comes in to buy cat food during the later half of the month…and during the first part of the month, she never buys any at all. Do you have a cat, Officer?"

"Yes..." Pete answered, gesturing slightly as he did so.

"Well then, you probably know that cats like to be fed _every _day of the month…if you know what I mean."

Pete sighed and nodded, "Yes, Mr. Smith, I think I know what you mean." Pete and the manager walked back over to the elderly lady and Jim. She was glaring at Jim, with a determined look on her face, which Pete found rather amusing, despite the seriousness of the situation.

Mrs. Banes turned and held out her bony wrists in Pete's direction, "Here officer, you put the cuffs on me; your partner won't do it." Again, she shot a defiant look in Jim's direction. Jim shifted helplessly where he stood. He had no desire to arrest this tiny, frail and harmless little woman. It would be too much like arresting his own grandmother.

Pete held up a hand, "Now Mrs. Banes, let's not jump to any rash decisions here. Mr. Smith isn't pressing charges, on one condition."

"I can't afford 'conditions' officer; just arrest me and get on with it. After all, I need to get this food home to my cats before its time to take my medicine at lunch. I can't take it until one hour after I eat." Suddenly, Mrs. Banes realized that she had inasmuch voiced aloud that the cat food was for her. She lowered her gaze to the floor as her slender, age humped shoulders began to shake while she sobbed silently, her defiant streak no longer present.

"Oh, Mrs. Banes, please don't cry; here, come over here and sit down." The store manager took her by the elbow and led her over to a chair,where he helped her down into it. She was freely crying silent tears at this point.

Turning to the officers, "I'm sorry to have bothered you gentlemen; this has all been a bad misunderstanding. I know that Mrs. Banes wouldn't try to steal anything. It's all been a silly misunderstanding. Why, I think that it's only fair that, for her troubles and inconvenience, we give her a months' worth of groceries; wouldn't you fellas agree?"

Pete and Jim exchanged smiles, "Mr. Smith, if you think that is what the store should do, then by all means, our presence here is no longer needed; we'll see ourselves out." Pete said, as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a card and wrote down the phone number for the area soup kitchen and handed it to Mr. Smith. "See to it that she gets this number, okay?" He added in a quiet voice.

Mr. Smith smiled graciously at the officers and thanked them. As they left the store manager's office, they could hear Mr. Smith telling Mrs. Banes that she could go through and fill her cart with enough groceries to last her for a month and then he would have the delivery boys bring them to her home.

Getting back into the cruiser, Pete smiled at Jim, "Now _that _was enough to restore some of my faith in human compassion, my friend; wouldn't you say?"

"Definitely." Jim halfheartedly answered.

Pete paused just as he was ready to star the cruiser. He took his hand off the ignition key and looked over at his partner. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but Jim looked like he was bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. "What's the matter, Jim?"

"Well..." Jim hesitated briefly, "yeah, it was a nice gesture and all, but what happens _next_ month when the money runs out halfway through the month. It's only a band-aid, Pete, not a remedy for the real issue at hand. I mean, is this how she's gonna have to live the golden years of her life? It just doesn't seem fair, you know? People work hard all of their lives, and then end up getting nowhere; absolutely nowhere, Pete." Jim sighed again, "Do you know where nowhere is, Pete?"

"No, Jim; where?" Pete knew that his partner wasn't talking about Mrs. Bane's financial problems at that point, but in a round about way, he was speaking of his own.

Realizing that he'd said too much, Jim just stared out of the side window once again. Finally, after a minute, he picked up the mic, and cleared them before saying, "Never mind, Pete, it's not important."

"Jim, is there something that Jillian and…"

"_No! _Now let's just drop it." Jim was very adamant in his declaration, leading Pete to drop the subject. He knew that if Jim wanted to talk about it, he'd bring it up again when he was ready. The squad car was very quiet for the next hour, the only noise coming from the various calls for service that the other units were getting. Pete found himself wishing for a call; any call at all.

When Pete couldn't stand the silence any longer, he checked his watch. Seeing that it was nearly noon, he ventured, "You ready for seven, partner?"

"Yeah, I guess. You, uhm…well do you mind if we eat the station today. Jean packed my lunch again."

"Not at all; Jillian shoved a brown paper bag into my hand this morning as I was walking out the door."

"Yeah? What'd she pack you today?" Jim asked with more than a mild interest. He already knew what Jean had packed; the same thing that she'd packed the last three times, a peanut butter and banana sandwich and an apple. Some days it barely satisfied his hunger pangs, but he tried not to spend any extra in the vending machines, so he just made do.

"Hard tellin' what she packed. She's been on experimental kick with that cookbook her sister sent her for Christmas. I gotta say, those people from her hometown church sure do have some different ideas for food."

Jim chuckled as he looked at Pete's expression. "Bad, huh?"

"I wouldn't say all _that_ bad…just…different."

"So, her cooking has as much of an East Coast accent as she has, huh?" Jim asked, snickering at his own little joke. When Jim had first met Jillian, he'd had to listen really close to decipher what she was saying. She had a bad habit of dropping the 'r' at the end of her words, making it a guessing games at times to figure out what she was saying. Since living on the West Coast for over a year and a half, she'd lost some of that accent, except when she was really tired or really excited about something.

"Her_ cooking_is good; it's just some of the things in that cookbook that sound a little less than desirable, if ya get my drift. I mean, c'mon, how appetizing can you make squirrel…or possum; and you don't even want to know what they use snake meat for."

"Eww! And to think I was gonna ask you if you wanted to trade lunches." Jim made a face that spoke volumes.

Pete had to laugh out loud; he was pulling Jim's leg and Jim was falling right into his little trap. Finally he couldn't hold out any longer, "Jim, I'm only kidding you. Her sister sent her one of those Betty Crocker cookbooks, and believe me, there aren't any recipes for squirrel, possum, or snake in there. She did find a recipe in it for some wonderful peanut butter cookies, though…and she told me that I have to give you a couple of them for dessert." Pete supplied with a smile.

"Now that sounds more like it!" Jim smiled, and picked up the mic to request clearance for their seven. The dispatcher cleared them and Pete headed toward the station, thankful that for the moment, Jim seemed to be nearly back to his normal jovial self.

* * *

"Now Jimmy, you be good for Aunt Jillian, and do what she tells you. Mommy has some errands to take care of and then I will come and get you over at Aunt Jillian's and Uncle Pete's house, okay?" Jean had bent down and was eye level with her son, giving him the 'best behavior' lecture that she gave him whenever she was leaving him with a sitter or family.

Jimmy threw his arms around Jean's neck and gave her a big hug and sloppy kiss on the cheek before saying, "Okey donkey, army-chokey." Jillian cringed as Jean shot her a look that spoke volumes.

"C'mon, Jimmy...we are going to run to my house really quick so I can change Clara and then we will go to the park...okay?" Jillian held her breath, praying that a simple answer of 'okay' would be Jimmys' reply. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was.

Jean smiled at her friend, "Thanks again, Jillian, I really appreciate this."

"Oh it's no problem, Jean; just take your time and don't worry about a thing, we are going to have a ball at the park. You know, if you'd like, Jimmy can even stay and have dinner with us so you and Jim can celebrate the happy news that you are sure to be getting today." She gave Jean a quick wink.

Jean laughed, "Thanks, but, uhm, celebrating is what got us into this need for a doctor's appointment, in the first place."

Thinking that she detected a note of something less than being thrilled, Jillian asked, "Jean, you and Jim are happy about having another child, aren't you?"

Jean smiled, half-heartedly, "Oh, yeah, we're happy about it, but it's just that we really hadn't planned on expanding our family until Jimmy was in school all day, you know? We were kind of hoping to get a bigger place before that happened, but that will have to wait now." Noticing that Jillian had a concerned look on her face, "Look, we'll be fine; don't fret. It will just be a little on the cozy side for a little while. Besides, I may be going on for nothing; we may not even be pregnant."

"Says the lady who gloweths with the radiant blush of someone that is expecting a baby." Jillian teased.

"I'd talk...have you looked in the mirror lately? You are not only poetic with your words, but you seem to be sporting quite the glow, yourself. Any news _you _want to share?" Jean questioned with a knowing air.

Jillian quickly quelled Jeans' words, "Yes, I have looked in the mirror, and I can, with all certainty say that my glow has come from spending alot of time out in the sun, lately; besides, I am nursing Clara Rose and everyone knows you can't get pregnant while nursing your child. Now, we have to get out of here so you can get going." Jillian shifted Clara Rose in her arm and then reached down to take Jimmy's hand. "Come on, big guy, lets go get this baby changed and go the park. How about that?"

Jimmy echoed, "Yeah! How 'bout that?"

Jean smiled knowingly as she watched her friend and the two little ones set out towards Jillan's car, thinking, _Yep, I have a feeling that Jillian and I are going to be sharing similar news with our husbands, whether she wants to believe it or not. Oh, poor Pete...I wonder how she will tell him this time? _Jean let out snort of laughter as she thought back to the first time Jillian tried to find a way to tell Pete that they were going to have a baby; the poor girl had been beside herself.

* * *

Jim and Pete had settled down in the break room with their lunches and cups of coffee. Just as Jim thought, he had the peanut butter and banana sandwich, along with an apple. Pete had a thick roast beef on rye, with mayonnaise. He caught a glimpse of Jim's slender sandwich, then looked at his own. Suddenly, he had a craving for peanut butter and banana, though it was a combination he nearly loathed. Groaning, he muttered, "Argh…she gave me roast beef _again_! I hate that when she gives me the same thing two or three days in a row."

"Hey, Partner, don't knock it…that sandwich looks pretty good from here."

"Well, I'm tired of roast beef; wanna trade?" Pete asked nonchalantly, holding the sandwich in Jim's direction, as though it was offending him in some way.

Jim didn't have to be coaxed, he quickly swapped sandwiches while muttering something about how he wouldn't be a good friend if he weren't willing to help Pete out with that small favor. As promised earlier, Pete also handed him two peanut butter cookies, which Jim took without question before anxiously biting in to the sandwhich. Jim was thankful that Pete was concentrating on his own lunch so that he didn't see the obvious joy that he was getting out the sandwich swap.

The two partners sat quietly as they ate. Pete knew that Jim was back in his own personal reverie about his problems so he finished his sandwich and cookies and then got up to throw away his trash. Afterwards, he went over to the phone and dialed his house.

"Hellwo who is dis?" a familiar little voice asked, bringing a smile to Pete's face.

"Jimmy? Hi, this is Uncle Pete; where's Aunt Jillian, big guy?"

"Hi Uncle Pete, I'm gonna go to da park wif Aunt Jeelwin and Tlara Rosed. Do you wanna come too?"

Pete couldn't help but chuckle as Jimmy rambled on, mispronouncing Clara Rose and Jillian's names as he went. "Well Jimmy, I would like to, but I can't because your daddy and I are at work, remember?"

"Yeah" came the reply, punctuated with a heavy sigh from the little guy. Pete had to chuckle at the similarities between father and son when they were disappointed about something. Jimmy was a mirror image of Jim in that aspect.

"Jimmy, can I talk to Aunt Jillian?"

"No."

Pete was taken off guard by that reply. "Well…why not?" By now Jim had perked up and was listening to Pete patiently talk to his son.

"A-cause."

"Because why?"

"A-cause she's changing da baby a-cause she smells icky."

Pete's grin split ear to ear as he listened to Jimmy's logic. "Well, can you go and tell Aunt Jillian that I am on the phone, please?" He was being very patient with Jimmy.

"Okay…bye…"

"No, no, no…don't hang…" _click_, "up." Pete sighed and looked at the phone and then at Jim, smiling in a melancholy way, "He hung up on me." He stated.

Jim laughed. "Uhm, yeah, we've kind of been teaching him to answer the phone; we figure he's almost four, you know, so he's really old enough to start learning. We're still working on the putting the phone down on the tabletop and _not_ hanging it up while he runs to get one of us. It's still a learning process in the works…a long, long, learning process."

"Uhm…yeah, ya don't say; just let me try back again and then we'll hit the beat." Pete dialed once again, silently hoping that Jillian would answer this time around.

"Hello?" Jillian's voice came over the line.

"Hey, Sunshine. How are my two best girls?"

"Hi honey, we're fine. Why'd you hang up earlier?"

"I didn't hang up, Jimmy did; apparently Jim and Jean are still trying to teach him to_ lay _the phone down before he goes to get someone. According to Jim, it's a work in progress." Pete laughed, shooting Jim a quick smile. "Now, tell me all about Clara Rose's appointment."

"Oh she's doing great. The doctor said that she is healthy and seems right on target with her developmental skills for her age. He was a little concerned with her petite stature, but when I explained to him that almost all of the females on my side of the family are vertically challenged, then he was okay with it. He does want us to start her on formula as a supplement to the breast milk though, and in another two weeks start some cereal at night."

"Why? I thought that your nursing her was better for her?" Pete was immediately concerned.

"It is, and that's why the formula is only a supplement. I'll still nurse her most of the time, but probably after we establish her on the cereal I will start weaning her to straight formula and cereal."

"Is he sure that's what's best for her?"

"Yes, Honey…he's sure. She's been nursed for three months straight without supplements and that means that she has already reaped the benefits of nursing a hundred times over; she has built up immunities that aren't offered with the formula feeding. Besides, the doctor thinks that with the number of times that she is feeding, that I am being worn down, so that's another reason he wants me to cut back and start her on formula and cereal."

A little red light went off in Pete's head, "Are you okay, Sunshine? Did he get to check you over too?"

"Stop worrying, Pete…I have an appointment for next week; a full physical, head to toe and everything in between."

"Well, okay…you sure you feel okay, though?" The alarms and whistles were going off as he recalled how tired she had been feeling for the past month or so. He also recalled that the last time she felt tired and rundown, she found out that they were going to be parents. He almost laughed at the thought, quickly pushing it to the back of his mind. He'd read in one of her pregnancy books that while it was still _possible _to get pregnant while nursing, it wasn't very likely, so they hadn't bothered with any methods of birth control once they were given the okay by the doctor to resume their marital activities.

"Pete, honey, will you please stop worrying about me? I'm fine. I just get a little tired, is all; now, put Jim on so Jimmy can tell his daddy hello."

Smiling at where his thoughts had taken him, Pete assured her that he would stop worrying about her since she was going to see the doctor the following week. He couldn't quite quell the bubble of happiness that he felt at the prospect of Clara Rose becoming a big sister. He figured he was reaching for the stars, but for some reason, the idea of having another little one made him giddy with anticipation. _Oh stop it, Peter J.! She's probably just tired from being awakened every two or three hours!_ He silently admonished himself.

Looking over at Jim, "You finished, partner, Jimmy wants to say hi to ya?"

Walking over and taking the phone from Pete, Jim spent a few minutes talking to his son before Jimmy gave the phone back to Jillian; she spoke briefly with Jim and then hung up.

Pete took note that Jim looked a little uncomfortable as he ambled back over to the table to gather up his trash. "What's wrong, Jim? You look a little stuffed, there partner."

Jim rubbed his stomach, "Oh yeah, I feel stuffed! That was one nice sandwich; there must have been a half a pound of roast beef on that sucker!"

"I wouldn't doubt it; Jillian seems to think that I need to go up a size or two in the wardrobe department. Well, at least I _think_ that's what she thinks. She cooks enough for a small army and then she eats like a bird, while she loads down my plate."

"Well, with a family the size of the one that she comes from, she probably learned to cook in military sized portions!"

Pete laughed at Jim's reasoning, "You're probably right. Let's get moving, huh?" he said as Jim threw his trash away and rinsed his coffee cup.

Back out on the street, Pete noticed that Jim's mood had lightened up a little, for which he was grateful. The morning had been a long one and he was hoping that the afternoon wouldn't find his partner so glum.


	3. Chapter 3

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 3

Copyright June 2010

Jillian relaxed against the backrest of the park bench and stifled a yawn while squinting against the afternoon sun. She watched as Jimmy enjoyed playing in the sandbox with another little boy about his own age. Clara Rose was peacefully napping in her stroller under the protecting shade of the giant elm tree overhead. Every once in a while, she would crinkle her nose and then break into a small, sweet smile, causing Jillian to smile, and think, _Momma's always saying that when babies smile in their sleep, they are playing with the angels. _Now that Jillian was a mother, she found herself missing her family more and more each day and she was really looking forward to Pete's upcoming vacation in a few months; they had already made plans to go east and visit with Jillian's family.

Jillian pulled herself out of her thoughts when she heard, "Excuse me, is this end of the park bench spoken for?" The question came from a woman that looked to be about Jillian's age. She had dark, shoulder length hair and wore a sophisticated looking pants suit, making Jillian feel a little tacky and insecure in her old jeans and t-shirt. The woman was smiling at Jillian as she waited patiently for an answer.

"Uhm…no, be my guest." Jillian offered with a smile of her own.

"Thank you." The stranger said, and sat down, quietly gazing towards Clara Rose. "Is that your little one?" The woman asked, as Clara Rose began to fuss; it was nearing her feeding time.

"Yes; this little bundle is Clara Rose." Jillian reached in to the stroller and placed the pacifier in Clara Rose's mouth, hoping to buy a little more time before she would have to gather up Jimmy and head for home.

"Oh, she's precious; how old is she?" The woman inquired.

"She's just over three months old." Jillian answered, beaming down with pride at her baby girl as she moved the back of the stroller up into a slanted position so that Clara Rose could look around. That, coupled with the pacifier, had the desired effect and the baby stopped fussing, focusing instead on the surroundings of park activity.

Jimmy chose that moment to come bounding over to Jillian as fast as his little legs would carry him.

"Oh!" the lady exclaimed, "you have a little boy, too?" The woman questioned, though she was fully aware that the boy did not belong to Pete and his wife. She did remember seeing the little boy sitting with them the night before and knew that that he had to be the son of Pete's partner, Officer Jim Reed.

"No; Jimmy belongs to our friends. He's just having a playdate with us while his mom takes care a few errands and appointments today." She reached out and mussed the little boys hair, "Aren't ya, munchkin?"

The woman had a fleeting thought as she watched Jillian muss the little boy's hair; _maybe I should take him too…then again, maybe not. He'd be too much trouble. At least a baby can't talk._

Jimmy started dancing around and holding himself in a way that left no question about what he needed to do. "Gotta potty, Aunt Jeelwin…bad!"

"Please excuse us." Jillian directed to the lady, as she quickly stood up and gathered their belongings before hurrying Jimmy towards the restroom, awkwardly pushing the stroller through the uneven terrain of the park.

Once inside the ladies room, Jillian let Jimmy go into the stall alone after he insisted that he was a big boy and could do it himself. She and Clara Rose waited by the sink.

Jillian was standing with her back towards the door when the lady from the park bench came in. She silently walked up behind Jillian and just as she reached around her from behind, Jillian turned, eyes wide and startled as the woman reached out with lightening speed and put an ether-soaked cloth over Jillian's face. The effect was immediate, not even affording Jillian a chance to protest or fight back in any way. As she passed out, the woman mercilessly watched her drop to the floor, smiling as Jillian's head bounced, with a thud, on the concrete beneath her. With a snicker, the woman quickly pushed the stroller out of the restroom and through the park, never once looking back.

Seconds later, Jimmy came through the stall door and announced "I finished, Aunt Jeelwin!" He saw his aunt lying on the floor in a crumbled heap and he went over and shook her on the shoulder, "Wake up, Aunt Jeelwin!" When Jillian didn't stir, he shook her again, "Aunt Jeelwin, I finished; can I go play now?" Still receiving no answer, Jimmy sat down on the floor next to Jillian and kept shaking her shoulder, as silent tears began to steak down his face.

* * *

Beep, beep, beep, beep…

"_One Adam-12, One Adam-12, meet 1-L-20 on Tac 2." _Came the dispatchers' voice.

Jim picked up the mic and acknowledged before flipping to Tac 2.

"This is One Adam-12, go ahead, Mac." Jim spoke into the mic.

"Jim, I need you and Pete to head over to Central Receiving, right away. I'll meet you at the ambulance doors. I need to talk to you both before we go in."

Pete raised his eyebrows as if to say 'I wonder what's up?' while Jim looked at Pete and shrugged his shoulders as if answering, 'Your guess is as good as mine.'

Turning the car around, Pete pushed the gas pedal down, causing the squad car to speed up slightly as they headed towards the hospital.

Meanwhile, at Central Receiving…

"Tell me now! I want to know about my baby girl and Jimmy!" While the words inside her head were spoken plain and loud, they came out slurred and sounding a bit high pitched, as if borderline hysterical. Jillian tried to sit up as she groggily made her demands from the examining room table that she was laying on. She had every intention of getting up and going to find the little ones for herself; but when she tried, the room took on a life of it's own and began to spin, leaving her only one choice, and that was to lay back down.

The doctor gently helped her lay back down on the exam table, "Just calm down, Mrs. Malloy. Your little boy is down the hall with the nurse; he's fine. As for the baby…well, the baby is fine too. There was no harm done to the fetus when you passed out and hit your head. I am curious though, why you insist on thinking it's a girl; it's really too early to tell."

Despite the haze that had a tight hold on her, the doctors words sunk in and Jillian turned white as a sheet at the full implication of what the doctor had just said. It was all too much for her to digest, and even though she was lying down, the room began to spin out of control as she struggled to breathe. She knew that she was hyperventilating, and that made it impossible to verbalize that she was talking about her three-month old daughter; she continued to try and fight the encumbering darkness that was wrapping itself around her like a dark shroud, but it was a losing battle.

Out near the ambulance entrance, Pete pulled the squad car up next to the Sergeant's station wagon. He and Jim got out, donning their hats. Mac came through emergency room doors and walked over to them.

"Pete, Jim, come on in to the doctor's lounge. I need to talk to the both of you for a minute." They followed him in and took a seat when he bid them to do so.

"Mac? What's this all about?" Pete was the first to ask. Watching Mac's body language, Pete could tell that something wasn't right. Mac continued to walk on, not answering.

"Mac?" Pete prompted, again.

"Pete; Jim…I, uhm…I received a call from the hospital about twenty minutes ago. It seems that there was some kind of medical emergency at the park today and Jillian passed out, briefly. A young woman went into the restroom and found her lying on the floor, with Jimmy sitting next to her and crying. I guess when he couldn't get her to wake up he became pretty scared and started crying. The woman and her husband brought the two of them in by private vehicle. Seeing Jim's face turn ashen, Mac held up his hand, "Jimmy is okay; he's down the hall with one of the nurses, having milk and cookies. Jillian's down in the exam room and the doctor is in there with her now. I am on my way down to the waiting area so I can speak with the couple that brought them in; get their names and such. In the meantime, Pete you go see your wife, and Jim, you go see your boy.

Pete felt like the air had been knocked out of him. Mac hadn't once mentioned Clara Rose. Pete knew that Clara Rose was at the park with Jillian and Jimmy and he heard his voice crack as he asked, "Mac…what about Clara Rose? Where is she? Is she okay?"

It was Mac's turn to look concerned at Pete's words, "Isn't she with Jean, or at the sitter?" Mac's question stopped Jim short in his tracks and he returned to where the other two men were standing, a look of concern on his face as well.

"No Mac, she isn't with Jean. Jean had a doctor's appointment today, and that's why Jimmy was with Jillian and Clara Rose." Pete tossed the words over his shoulder as he hurried out of the doctor's lounge and into the hallway, looking for the examining room that Jillian was in. He didn't have to look far when he recognized her hysterical voice coming from exam room two and barged in just as she blacked out.

"_Jillian_!" He exclaimed, pushing through the doctor and nurse to get to his wife, who was, at the moment, unconscious. Turning to the doctor, "What's wrong with her doctor; she was awake just a moment ago, I heard her. What happened?" The questions were fast and the answers that he needed, were urgent.

"I take it that you are Mr. Malloy?" The doctor calmly stated, rather than inquired.

Pete shook nodded his head slowly as he gazed down at his wife's still form. Finding his voice, he turned to the doctor and spoke, "Yes…I am. What happened? Will she be okay? What about our baby… what about Clara Rose?"

Jim and Mac had followed Pete into the exam room as well, though they hung back toward the door area so they wouldn't be intruding.

The soft-spoken doctor chuckled slightly, "As I told your wife, Mr. Malloy, the baby is fine. Boy the two of you sure are hooked on having a girl, even to the point that you already have the child named. Most women still aren't sure that they are even pregnant this early on. We did a blood draw on her because she passed out, that's how we found out. I sure hope you aren't disappointed if this isn't a girl, but I guess you'll know for sure in about seven and half or eight months." The doctor paused and then chuckled again, "I sure hope that 'Clara Rose' isn't a boy, though because a little boy with that name would surely have a tough row to hoe in life. In any event, we'll be keeping your wife overnight, for observation. She has quite the goose egg where her head hit the floor; we don't believe that she has a concussion, though we are going to do a few x-rays to be sure. She's a little incoherent, so we want to watch her tonight." The doctor's eyes lit up as he chuckled a little more, thinking about the poor little baby that may be misnamed. "Do you have any questions, Mr. Malloy?"

Pete's face drained of color; Mac and Jim were on either side of him a split second later, offering physical support as Pete's knees nearly buckled and his breathing became heavy. Realization that their baby girl was missing slammed into him like a runaway train.

Mac swung around towards the doctor, "Look Dr…" he read the nametag on the medical coat, "…Dr. Nimmons…I'm only guessing at what your implying, but Officer Malloy is talking about his and Jillian's little girl, Clara Rose. She is three months old and she was with her mother and Jim's little boy at the park. Where is the baby?"

The doctor had quit smiling at Mac's words, suddenly realizing what Jillian had been talking about when she kept mentioning the baby. "Oh my goodness...I didn't realize. Of course, that explains why Mrs. Malloy became quite upset when I delivered the news to her. There was no baby girl brought in with her and the little boy. I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you." And then as an afterthought, "You know, though, when she first came in, she was muttering something incoherently…it sounded like something about a woman and a cloth. It didn't make much sense; we just chalked it up to the bump on her head, from the fall that she must have taken."

Pete had regained some of his color and with a pleading look at the doctor, "Please, Dr. Nimmons, who brought my wife in? I need to speak with them…now!" The urgency in his voice left no room for argument as the doctor told them to see the couple in the waiting room.

Mac, Pete and Jim approached the couple sitting near the vending machines in the waiting room. Pete was about to speak up when Mac reached out a hand, indicating that he would do the questioning.

The couple stood up, introduced themselves and then diligently answered the questions that Mac posed…'Yes, they had been the ones to find Jillian and Jimmy; No, there wasn't a baby with her. Yes, they did see someone, a woman, with a baby, in the area just before going over to the restroom. Yes, the woman had a baby stroller and was leaving from that general direction; No, they weren't close enough to give a definite description of her, but yes, they may be able to recognize her if they seen her again;' and so the question and answer period went. Mac took their statements, along with their names, address and phone number. He assured them that both Jillian and Jimmy were going to be fine and then he allowed them to leave, telling them that if they remembered anything else, they were to call him at the number provided on the business card that he gave to them.

"Jim, call the detectives and have them get a unit out to the park location that the couple gave us; there may be evidence that can be used; then go check on Jimmy. Pete, you go sit with Jillian, and when she wakes up, try and get any information that you can from her. See if she saw anything or anyone. And Pete, I know I don't have to tell you this, but I'm going to anyway; stay calm, Pete, you aren't going to do Jillian, or Clara Rose, any good by getting worked up. Now go on, go sit with your wife; I'll be down in a few minutes."

Mac watched his officers walk away to perform their assigned tasks, the slightly defeated hunch in Pete's shoulders cut him straight through the heart. He knew that Pete's wife and little girl meant the world to the man and he just couldn't bear to see the emotional pain that his friend was in. Walking over to the charge nurse, Mac spoke briefly to her, wanting to check if anything of importance had been said when the couple brought Jillian and Jimmy in, before heading back down to the examining room. The nurse didn't have anything more to add than what they already gathered from the couple.

Walking back to the examining room, Mac knocked slightly and went in. Jillian was awake and Pete was standing by her bedside, holding her hand and speaking quiet, soft words to her. He looked ready to break; she looked as though she was already broken as she turned red rimmed, tear-swollen eyes in Mac's direction. His heart went out to her as he approached the fragile looking young woman. "Hi Jillian…I'm not going to ask if you are okay, because I know that you aren't. I can't imagine what you are going through, right now, but I want you to know that we are going to do everything in our power to find Clara Rose. The detectives are on their way out to the park to check around." Jillian nodded slightly, still in somewhat of a haze.

"Jillian, I know that you have probably already told Pete everything that you can remember, but I need you to think really hard and tell me if there is anything more, anything at all, no matter how minute, that you can think of."

Jillian was numb with shock and disbelief. Her thoughts were jumbled in her mind as she lay there digesting that her little girl was missing. She had trouble focussing on Pete's words…words of comfort, alternating with questions; questions that she was sure she had answers too, but her world was still fuzzy from effects of the bump on the head.

Turning to Pete, Mac asked, "Has she been able to tell you anything?"

"She said there was woman that sat down beside her on the park bench, then Jimmy had to use the restroom, so she gathered up their things and they all went to the restroom. She keeps mumbling something about the woman had a cloth or something like that."

"You know, the doctor said that she was mumbling about that earlier too. Pete, he's ruled out the possibility of a concussion…you don't suppose the confusion is from something else, do you?"

"What are you getting at, Mac? Jillian doesn't even drink and she wouldn't be popping pills. She's nursing Clara Rose, for God's sake. She wouldn't put our daughter in danger!" Pete was not happy about where Mac's questions were leading, and he felt the need to defend his wife to the ninth degree.

Somewhat surprised at Pete's outburst, Mac reached out and laid a hand on his friends shoulder, "Pete, I didn't mean to insinuate that, or anything even close to that. What I meant was, does Jillian have any enemies out here that you know of?"

"_No!_" he nearly shouted, and then, in a more quiet tone, "No, Mac, she doesn't have any enemies out here. Everyone that meets her just absolutely adores her. The only person that ever wanted to cause her any pain at all was her ex-boyfriend, and he's dead. Mac, who could've done this…and more importantly, _where_ is our little girl?"

Squeezing Pete's shoulder briefly, "I don't know, Pete, but we're gonna find her; just keep the faith on that, huh? I'm going to head down to the park and meet with the detectives. I'll keep you posted if we find anything. You keep me posted in case she says anything that might be helpful, okay?"

Pete nodded quietly.

"Pete do you want me to call Mary and have her come down and sit with Jillian? You know, we've come to love Jillian like a daughter, and with her mom being so far away, she may want someone to talk to." Mac offered.

"Thanks, Mac, but I'll stay with her for now. When she comes around a little more, I'll ask her if she wants to talk to Mary. I guess I probably should call her folks, though…and mine."

"Why don't you hold off on that for a little while until we see what we can come up with. Right now you have more questions than answers and if you call them, they are bound to want answers." Mac figured that a bunch of questions from the parents and in-laws were the last thing that Pete and Jillian needed right now.

"Yeah, you're right, Mac. I'll wait for a little bit before I call them. There's nothing they can do from Seattle and Maine, anyway."

Mac turned to leave the room as Pete watched Jillian drift off into another state of fitful and brief unconsciousness. As he observed her drowsiness, coupled with her sluggish efforts to keep her eyes open and speak, a light bulb went off in his mind; to him, it seemed that she was trying to fight off the effects of some kind of sleeping drug. "Mac, wait!"

Stopping, Mac turned back towards Pete, "Yeah, Pete?"

"What if what Jillian was saying about a woman and cloth is connected? The doctor said that he doesn't think she has a concussion; what if the confusion and the drugged effect came from something else…like maybe someone drugged her?"

"You mean like ether, or something like that?"

Pete nodded, "That would explain her mumbling about a cloth."

"Yeah," Mac agreed, "that would explain the cloth."

"Yeah. What if it was this woman that she keeps mumbling about? What if she drugged Jillian and took Clara Rose, for some reason?" Pete didn't like the path that his thoughts were taking. He didn't want to think that their little girl had fallen into the hands of someone that was dealing in black market babies. The thought both frightened and sickened him to the very core.

"You could be on to something, Pete. I'll go get the doctor and run the ether theory by him. Maybe we can get her out from under the influence of whatever it is that has her captive and then we can get somewhere with a description. We may be barking up the wrong tree, but right now it's the only tree we have to bark up! You going to be okay, waiting here with Jillian, by yourself?"

Pete nodded as Mac left the room. He then gently shook Jillian's shoulder so that he could awaken her a little and try to get her talking again.

"C'mon Sunshine, wake up…we have to talk…Please Babe, just try and wake up."

Inside Jillian's mind…_Wake up Jillian and talk to Pete…tell him about he lady and the cloth…it's important to tell him. _Struggling to make words that made sense, Jillian forced open her lips at Pete's prodding.

Her words were slurred and her sentences broken and sporadic, but Pete listened patiently, willing her to give him something to go on. "Pete? The woman…cloth; Sat on bench…nice pantsuit; talked about Clara Rose and Jimmy; bathroom; go by himself; her behind me…cloth…face. Where's Clara Rose? I want my baby." Silent tears began to fall from her eyes and streak down the sides of her face. Pete leaned forward and kissed the salty, tear stained cheekbone as he stroked the hair near her forehead. "It's okay Sunshine…we're gonna find her."

The doctor and a nurse came striding in, "Mr. Malloy, I just spoke with Sgt. MacDonald. He told me about your suspicions."

"Doctor, do you think ether would cause these effects?" Pete anxiously questioned.

"Yes, ether could very well have caused these effects. We're going to see what we can do to get Jillian coherent enough to be of some help. Now, I will need you to step out for a little bit. Your partner is down in the doctor's lounge with his little boy. Why don't you go and keep them company."

Pete placed one more kiss on Jillian's cheek and told her that he loved her and walked out of the room as Jillian drifted off once again.

Operating on autopilot, Pete made his way down to the doctor's lounge and pushed the door open, sitting himself down at the table where Jim sat, with Jimmy on his lap. Jim stood up, hoisting the little boy to his hip, and walked over to the coffeepot, expertly using one hand to pour his partner a much-needed cup of coffee. He carried it back and sat it in front of Pete, who mumbled a soft 'thank you' before looking up and resting his eyes on Jimmy. Pete reached out for the little boy, who readily went to him, "Hey there, big guy. You okay, huh?"

Jimmy hugged tight to his uncle's neck and buried his face, sniffling into Pete's shirt collar. "Aunt Jeelwin dinn't wake-ted up."

"I know, buddy, but she's awake now and she's okay. She's worried about you. Can I tell her that you're okay?" Pete spoke softly to the child as he continued to hold onto him.

Jimmy sniffled again, and then Pete felt him nodding his little head up and down. "Good! Your aunt Jillian will be glad that you're okay, big guy." Jimmy turned his attention back to his milk and cookies as he sat on Pete's lap.

Nodding toward Pete, "You okay, partner?" Jim asked.

"I will be when we find Clara Rose, Jim. I just don't understand why anyone would want to take our little girl."

"I don't know, Pete, but we'll find her. How is Jillian?"

"She's gonna be okay. The doctor thinks that she may have been drugged with ether or something similar. He's trying to get her to come out of it so she can tell us anything that might be helpful."

Several moments of silence passed between the partners. Finally, when Jim was the one that couldn't take the quietness any longer, "I uhm…I heard what the doctor said; I guess congratulations are in order, huh?"

Pete knew that Jim was trying to re-direct his attentions and he went along with it for the moment. "Thanks; I kind of maybe thought she could be pregnant again, but I never really expected it; you know what I mean?"

Jim nodded, "Yeah, do I ever. You happy about it?"

Pete smiled, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes, under the circumstances. Any other time he would have been elated to share the happy news with his partner. "Yeah, Jim…I am; I just wish…I wish we knew…" Pete, unable to finish his sentence spent the next few minutes with his eyes closed, his head down and holding tightly onto Jimmy, who was beginning to drift off to sleep in his godfather's arms.

Jim got up and walked around the table, placing a hand on Pete's shoulder and giving it a squeeze, "She's gonna be okay, Pete. We're gonna find her…you'll see." He knew he was repeating himself, but under the circumstances, he didn't know what else to say.

Pete remained seated as he was and nodded quietly. "Maybe you had better call Jean, huh? Your little guy here is pretty well wiped out and he's had a traumatic day."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Jim walked over to the phone and dialed his house. He explained to Jean what had happened, and she told him that she was on her way to the hospital right then.

The door opened and a nurse popped her head in, "Mr. Malloy, the doctor wants to see you in the examining room. You're wife is coherent now."

Pete stood and handed Jimmy off to Jim and then hurried through the door after the nurse. He was anxious to see if Jillian could give them any more information now that the drug effects had worn off.


	4. Chapter 4

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 4

Copyright June 2010

Clara Rose was lying on the front passenger seat of the woman's vehicle. The little girl's face was flushed beet red with frustration as she cried and waved her little fists around. It was an hour past her feeding time, and everyone within a ten-mile radius could hear her complaining.

"_Shut UP!" _The woman screamed at the baby, causing her to stop crying, but only momentarily. The peaceful moment soon gave way to more screaming, both on the baby's part and on the part of the kidnapper. "_You stupid, worthless little brat…SHUT UP NOW!"_ She screamed as she flung her right hand out and hit the seat back, just inches above the squalling child's head. Thankfully for little Clara Rose, she had inadvertently directed one of her little fists into her mouth and quieted down as she sucked on it greedily, trying to pacify herself.

From the drivers' seat, the woman smiled at the now seemingly happy little one and said, "Hmm…maybe you're not so bad after all; maybe I'll just keep you for myself instead of what I did have planned. Yes, little one, that's what I'll do…I'll keep you as my own. Don't you worry, your new mommy will have you home in no time, little angel." In her sick little mind, she had decided that Clara Rose was going to be _her _child from there on out; after all, Officer Malloy had taken her family, and now Victoria Greenfeld was going to take his. The mentally unstable woman was reveling in her decision as she drove.

Victoria Greenfeld thought back to how she had met Pete three years ago. Her sister, Ann, had dated him on the pretense of getting close to him so she could extract revenge on him for killing their father several years prior, during a bank hold up. Pete hadn't known that he was dating the daughter of the man he had killed, because the woman had used a different last name. Once Ann had gotten close to Pete, she had kidnapped him and had holed herself, and him, up in one of the vacant homes that Victoria, a real estate agent, had listed on the market.

Victoria had found out that her sister had set up housekeeping in one of the empty houses and went there to confront her. It was then that she stumbled on the injured officer and her sister. Her sister had even turned on her, shooting at her and causing her a head injury, just before other officers and detectives invaded the house, killing her sister.

While she was hospitalized with the injury, Pete had visited her and she told him that she didn't hold him responsible for either her father's death, or the death of her sister. She lied. Now, after three years, she was going to have _her_ revenge on the good officer. He had taken her family from her and now she was going to take his family from him.

Victoria turned her attention back to the baby, "Now…oh, I never gave you a name; hmm…I think you should be called Angel…yes, Angel is perfect for you. You are Mommy's little angel, aren't you?" Clara Rose had closed her eyes and drifted into a hi-cupped induced slumber, still sucking on her little fist.

Victoria smiled as she made a mental list of the items she would need to stop and pick up before getting the little one home. Diapers, formula, bottles, and a few sleepers were the main items, and the list continued to grow as she pulled the sedan into the parking spot of the local shopping mall. Unbuckling, she quickly exited the vehicle and went to the passenger side to get the baby and her purse before going into the store.

* * *

Pete followed the nurse into the exam room. Jillian was sitting up in the bed, sipping on a glass of water. Her color had returned to normal, though her eyes were still red-rimmed from crying. She was quietly answering the doctor's questions; 'yes the room had stopped spinning; yes, she could breathe now; no, things weren't as fuzzy as they had been…' and so the questions went. Jillian just wanted the doctor to leave her alone. She wanted to talk to Pete, tell him everything that she could remember; she wanted her child back, safe and sound in her arms.

Looking up as Pete came in, Jillian thrust the cup of water at the doctor and held her arms out towards Pete as he came to her side. They tightly embraced one another, tears sliding down Jillian's cheeks again; Pete's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He needed to be strong for his wife…and his daughter, wherever she was.

The doctor gave them a brief moment and then spoke up, "Mr. Malloy, your wife is going to be fine; she won't have any lasting effects from the drug, and I don't believe any harm was done to the fetus, either. We suspect ether, as was suggested. A little smelling salts and a little time have allowed the effects to wear off nicely. We'll be moving her to a room for overnight observation in just a little bit. Try not to wear her out with questions, she still needs to rest."

"Thanks, Doctor." Pete said as he turned his attention to Jillian and gathered her tighter to his chest. The doctor slipped quietly out of the room, leaving the couple by themselves.

"Pete, I am so sorry. What have I done? How could any decent mother let her child be taken right out from under her nose?" Jillian was quietly crying into Pete's chest as he held her.

"Shh…it's not your fault, Sunshine. The doctor confirmed that you were drugged. Listen, honey, you have to tell me everything that you remember. Don't leave out anything at all."

"I remember Jimmy going into the stall by himself; next thing I know, that woman that sat down next to me in the park…well, she was behind me and she had a cloth that she shoved into my face. I don't remember anything after that, except waking up here and the doctor saying that they…they don't know where Clara Rose is!" She began crying harder, clinging to Pete as she did so.

"Shhsh, c'mon now, it's not gonna do any good to get upset. We need to talk; you need to tell me anything at all that you remember about that woman. Think, Babe, we need a description, and you are the only one that knows what she looks like."

Slowly Jillian tried to focus her mind on the woman; calling on her photographer's eye for detail, she pictured the woman in her head. "Uhm, white female, about five foot five or six, mid to late twenties, shoulder length dark hair that flips out on the ends…" That's it; that's all I can remember. I'm sorry." She dropped her face into her hands, trying her best to stave off the fresh wave of tears that threatened to fall.

"Sunshine, that's good; you remembered a lot about her." _Unfortunately, you described half the female population in the Los Angeles area, too._ Pete thought, but didn't voice.

Jillian squeezed her eyes tight, "You know, I can see her, plain as day; if I could draw, or if I could use my mind as film, I could give you the perfect photo of her!"

Pete's face lit up, "That's it, Sunshine! I'll call the station and we'll get the sketch artist down here. You describe her and he'll draw her. I'll be right back." Pete hurried from the examining room.

Jillian's spirits lifted a little. She knew that with her photographer mind's eye, she would be able to provide a true description to the sketch artist. She had to believe that they were going to find this woman…to find their daughter. Silent tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. _Oh please, God, keep our baby safe!_

* * *

"Ma'am, would you like help out with your groceries?" Asked the young grocery carryout boy.

Victoria quickly scanned the number of brown paper bags lining the inside of her cart and nodded her head, "Yes, please." She then picked up her purse and put it over her shoulder before carefully lifting Clara Rose out of the seat of the cart, where she had the child lying while she shopped.

Walking out to her vehicle, Victoria put Clara Rose into the front seat as the carryout boy loaded the groceries and other items into the trunk. He then thanked Victoria for the fifty-cent tip before heading back in to the grocery store.

Twenty minutes later, with the baby once again screaming, Victoria pulled into the driveway of 744 St. Johns. She quickly exited the vehicle and got the baby out of the car and into the house before the neighbors could hear the ruckus that Clara Rose was putting forth.

She quickly wet a clean washcloth with warm water and twisted it, tying it into a knot in the middle. She placed the knotted part near the baby's lips and watched briefly as Clara Rose began to suck on the washcloth. The poor baby was hungry.

Hurrying out to the car, and grabbing the bag that had bottles and formula mix, Victoria made fast work of washing a bottle and making up a batch of formula according to the instructions on the can. She then picked up Clara Rose and sat down in the rocker, with her, trying to get her to latch on to the unfamiliar nipple of the bottle. It took her nearly a half an hour to get the child to suck on the bottle nipple for a brief moment before the nipple slipped from her mouth and she began to fuss loudly, once again. Frustrated, Victoria finally put the baby down and propped the bottle near her mouth, figuring that if she were hungry enough, she'd latch on and drink. Victoria's mind was racing; she had to figure out how to get Clara Rose to drink from a bottle. Finally, she thought, _Damned that wife of Malloy's! She's probably nursing this little brat, and that's why she won't take the bottle. I knew that bitch looked like trouble when I laid eyes on her. Well, if push comes to shove, I may have to take her, too…at least until I can get this kid used to a bottle. I wish I'd have known this at the park!_

Clara Rose exhausted herself with crying and went to sleep as Victoria busied herself carrying in the remaining shopping bags.

* * *

Jillian glanced at the pad that the sketch artist had handed her. "The eyes; the eyes are just a little too close together. Can you make them just a little further apart?"

"Of course." Sketch artist Sam Braden said, taking the pad back and working his magic. A few minutes later he handed it back, "Better?"

Studying the face for a full minute, Jillian nodded, mesmorized by the complete likeness between the woman and the sketch. "That's her; that is exactly her. It's like you drew a picture identical to one that I could have taken with my camera. It's her…but who is she?"

"Well, Mrs. Malloy, we don't know that yet, but with this sketch, we have a good chance of finding out. Now, you just rest while I go out and talk to Pete and Sgt. MacDonald." Sam stood up to leave the room.

"Wait…" Jillian said, stopping Sam in his tracks.

"Yes? Was there something else that you remembered?"

"No; the sketch is perfect. I just wanted to say thank you."

Sam gave the woman a slight smile, "You're very welcome; try not to worry Mrs. Malloy, we're doing everything we can to find your little girl."

Tears streamed down Jillian's face, "I know…" She closed her eyes and silently prayed that what he said was true.

Out in the hallway, Pete and Mac stopped talking when Sam came out of Jillian's room. He had been in there for nearly an hour with the young woman. He handed the sketchpad to Pete and said, "Your wife has quite the eye for detail; that's what took so long."

Pete nodded and looked down at the picture before him; his blood ran cold. "My God!" He exclaimed.

"You recognize her, Pete?" Mac asked.

"Look…it's Vicki Greenfeld. I'd remember that face anywhere."

Mac took the sketchpad from Pete and looked at the picture. He had only seen the woman briefly, that day at the house, but he too could see that it was indeed Vicki Greenfeld. "It is her…or she has a twin!"

"You know the woman, Pete?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah; I, uhm…I had a run in with her sister three years ago; and a run in with her dad eight years ago. She kind of got caught up in the middle of her sister's escapades and that's how we met. How soon can you get this printed up and circulated, Sam? If she's got my daughter, hard telling what she has planned." Pete's mind was whirling around the issue of Vicki losing her family at the hands of police officers; him, in particular. He didn't want to contemplate what she might be planning for Clara Rose.

"I'm heading back to the station now. I'll have them printed in no time and they will be available for next shift's roll call in a few hours."

Pete shook the sketch artists' hand, "Thanks, Sam."

"No problem, Pete. I know this is easier said than done, but try not to worry; we'll find her."

Pete nodded and said a silent prayer that Sam was right. He then turned to Mac, "I'm going to go in and check on Jillian."

"Yeah, you do that. I'm gonna head back to the station. I'll let the dicks know that we have a positive identification and we'll get started on trying to find an address for her. Call if you need anything, okay, Friend." Mac patted Pete's shoulder.

"Yeah, Mac, I will. Let me know what you find out, huh? If you get a location, I want to be there when we go in."

"You know it, Pal." Mac turned to leave, then paused, "Hey Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you going to tell Jillian…about the identification?" Mac knew that Jillian worried about Pete and his safety on the job. He also knew that this situation would add a whole new dimension to her worries; now Pete's job was spilling over and threatening their little family. He had a feeling that there would be some serious fallout from this and he didn't envy his friend in the least.

Pete took a deep breath, "My first instinct is to _not _tell her; but that won't work. She can read me like a cheap dime store novel. She'll know something's up if I try that, so I am just going to lay it on the table, Mac."

Mac nodded, "Good idea. Call if you need anything." He turned and walked down the hall.

Moments later, Pete took another deep breath, put on a neutral face and pushed through the door. He could see that his wife was crying again and he quickly crossed the room and put his arms around her, holding her as she cried. He felt so helpless…and so guilty, knowing that the root of their daughter's kidnapping lay at his feet. Pete began to speak quietly, "Sunshine…we need to talk."

Jillian pulled away from his embrace. At his words, she immediately thought the worst and she had a horrified look on her face, "NO…NO…OH GOD…NO…Please don't tell me that our little girl is…OH DEAR GOD, NO!" Hysteria settled in faster than Pete could react as Jillian began to sob, inconsolably.

The doctor and nurse were passing by and heard Jillian's uncontrollable sobbing. Pushing through the door, the doctor took one look and told the nurse to prepare a sedative. Within the minute, Jillian was limp in Pete's arms and he gently laid her back against the pillow.

"Mr. Malloy, may I ask what set your wife off?" The doctor looked sternly at Pete, yet his eyes held a semblance of compassion for the officer, who looked like he was about at his breaking point as well.

Pete ran his hand through his hair, "Doctor, I can't be sure, but I think she misunderstood what I was going to talk to her about. I just wanted to tell her that we know who the kidnapper is. She started getting hysterical and yelling and…and…" Pete blew out a breath and left the sentence hanging unfinished as he threw up his hands in defeat.

"Mr. Malloy, let's step into the doctor's lounge. You look like you could use a seat and a cup of coffee. C'mon."

"No, I should stay here in case Jillian wakes up."

"I assure you, she will be out for awhile, Mr. Malloy. The sedative is not a light one. Now, come on and I'll buy you a cup of coffee." The doctor's tone left no room for argument as Pete followed the man out of the room, casting one last, quick glance over his shoulder, at his wife, who was now sleeping peacefully.

Pete followed the doctor to the lounge and sat down. Dr. Nimmons poured him a cup of coffee and sat it down in front of the worn looking officer, "Now, sit there and sip that slowly. You need a break from worrying over your wife's bedside. She'll be out for awhile yet." Pete was about to protest, when the doctor cut him off, "Doctor's orders."

Nodding, Pete offered the doctor a slight smile and a thank you as he watched the doctor retreat from the lounge. Taking a few sips of the steaming beverage, Pete's thoughts soon drifted off in all directions with wondering what Vicki Greenfeld had planned for Clara Rose. After a period of time, Pete took another sip of the coffee, and found that it had gotten cold while he was in his own private reverie. Knowing that he he couldn't just sit there and do nothing, Pete used the phone in the doctor's lounge to call the station. "Mac, it's Pete. Any word yet?"

"Afraid not, Pete. The flyers have been printed and distributed, not only to our guys, but also to all the divisions and the county and state law enforcement agencies. If we don't have any further information by morning, we may have to get the Feds involved, as well. In the meantime, the dicks are working overtime trying to locate the latest known whereabouts of Victoria Greenfeld, but nothing yet." Mac informed him. "How's Jillian?"

"Resting right now. She'll be out of it for awhile yet. The doctor gave her a pretty strong sedative after she flipped out when I went in to talk to her. She misunderstood what I was going to say and she thought that…well, she thought that…" Pete couldn't bring himself to voice what his words to Jillian made her think. Thankfully, Mac seemed to know and to understand the difficulty of the emotional impact this was having on his friend.

"It's okay, Pete; you don't have to say anything else. How are _you _holding up?"

"As well as can be expected, considering. Jim came by after shift ended, to check up on us. He ran home to check on Jean and Jimmy and then he's stopping back up here later on so he can give me a lift to the station to pick up my car."

"You going home tonight? You really should, just in case Vicki Greenfeld tries to make contact."

"Yeah, I'd already thought about that, Mac. Jillian will probably be out of it most of the night anyway."

"Listen, I'll talk to Jerry Miller about getting some tracing equipment set up on your phone, just in case. Call him when you get home and they'll come out and get it hooked up."

"We'll do, Mac. Thanks." And then, "I'd better go check on Jillian. I'll call Jerry when I get home."

"Yeah." Mac said, "Look, if you need anything, call; ya got that? I mean it, Pete; even if it's just a need to talk to someone."

"Yeah; thanks, Mac." Pete hung up the phone and dropped his head, running his hands through his hair in a tired and frustrated manner. He hated this feeling of helplessness. He couldn't help his wife and he couldn't help Clara Rose. He felt so helpless as he made his way back to Jillian's room, where he sat, lost in his thoughts for quite some time, as the nurse quietly came in every so often to check on Jillian.

When the silence in the room began to close in on him, Pete felt the need for some caffeine, so he checked in with the nurses' station to let them know that he was going to run down to the cafeteria. A few minutes later, he was back at Jillian's bedside, untouched cup of coffee sitting on the floor next to him as he spent time merely sitting by Jillian's bedside, holding her hand as she slept peacefully. Jim found him there a couple of hours later, looking beaten and worn down.

"Hey Pete." Jim whispered as he walked into Jillian's room. "How's she doing?"

"Sleeping." Came the quiet reply. "Jim, how'd this happen? Just this morning everything in my life was perfect. And now…" His voice trailed off.

Jim didn't have an answer for his friend, instead he said, "It'll be perfect again, Pete. We'll find Clara Rose, Jillian will be fine, and before you know it, life will be normal again. Now, c'mon, let's go get your car and then I'll follow you home; Jillian's gonna sleep the rest of the night, and you look like you could use some sleep too."

"Sleep? That's not gonna be possible, Jim; not possible at all." Standing, Pete placed a gentle kiss on Jillian's forehead and then followed Jim out of her room and out to the car. The ride to the station was long and silent, and after Pete picked up his car, Jim followed him to his house and stayed there until Jerry Miller came by with the phone tracing equipment.

"You want me to stay here with you tonight, Pete?" Jim asked, giving his friend a concerned look. Though his partner was only seven years his senior, in just one afternoon, he looked as though he'd aged another fifteen years.

Pete shook his head, giving Jim an almost blank look. "No; I'll be fine. I'm just gonna sit here and see if she calls. I don't think I'd be very good company, Jim. Go on home and hug your wife and son."

It broke Jim's heart to see his friend looking so defeated and helpless, but he also knew that Pete wanted to be alone right now so he said his goodbye and took his leave, telling Pete that he would call him in the morning and check in.

For a long time after Jim left, Pete just sat there, eyes riveted on the phone, willing it to ring; much to his dismay, it did not. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, when he could no longer hold his heavy eyelids open, Pete succumbed to a sporadic, fitful sleep, full of bad dreams about what Vicki Greenfeld's intentions were concerning his baby daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 5

Copyright June 2010

The early morning sunshine, never so welcomed as it was that morning, ushered Pete from one horror-filled nightmare into another, before slowly launching him into the world of his present, real-life nightmare; the one in which his daughter was still missing and in the hands of a psychopath.

Rolling off of the sofa and running his hand through his hair, Pete let out a sigh and made his way to the shower. He wanted to get to the hospital early since the doctor had said that Jillian would be able to come home that day. He wanted to get there as early as possible so that Jillian wouldn't have to face the day by herself. He knew he had to tell her who the kidnapper was and how it was his fault, and not hers, that their baby was missing. He didn't relish the idea at all, fearing how she was going to react.

* * *

Freshly showered and quietly sitting alone in the hospital room, Jillian was vacantly staring at the television screen, seemingly oblivious as the morning newscaster went on and on about the warehouse fire across town the night before, when a tall, dark-haired man knocked once and entered. Crossing the room, he stopped before Jillian and held out his right hand, "Mrs. Malloy?"

Jillian looked up and slowly nodded, as she took in the man's dark slacks, pressed white shirt and thick, black rimmed glasses.

Still holding his hand out to Jillian, the man finally dropped it to his side when Jillian didn't shake it, "Ma'am, I'm Dr. Little; I'm a psychiatrist on staff here. I wondered if we could talk for a bit; if you don't mind?"

Again, Jillian just stared at the man, finally nodding her head. She didn't know what he wanted to talk about, but if it would pass the time until Pete got there to pick her up, then what the heck. Maybe he wanted hypnotize her and see if she knew anything more than she had already been able to tell the police and hospital staff. Speaking quietly and gesturing to the chair beside the window, "Sure, have a seat."

"Thank you; I will." Dr. Little sat down, crossing his legs at the knees and resting his pad and paper one knee, as he scrutinized Jillian through the thick lenses of his glasses. It took only a moment before he began his inquisition. "So…let's talk, shall we?"

Again, Jillian nodded slowly and continued to stare at the man. Regretting her haste in agreeing to speak with him, Jillian wished that he would just state whatever it was that was on his mind and get out and leave her alone.

"You and your husband, you've been married only a short time, is that correct?"

"Almost sixteen months."

"And you had a baby within the first year? Clara Rose, is that correct?"

Jillian nodded, eyes tearing up at the mention of Clara Rose.

"You and…" the doctor checked his notepad, "Pete. You and Pete only met a little over four months prior to getting married; is that right?"

Nodding again, Jillian was tired of listening to the man already. He sounded more like an investigator, than a shrink.

"So, you really didn't have much time together as a couple before you became parents, huh?" He smiled briefly.

This time Jillian spoke up a little louder, "I wouldn't call sixteen months 'not much time', Dr. Little."

"But you weren't married for sixteen months before the baby came along, Mrs. Malloy." The doctor stated the obvious as though Jillian were a dense box of rocks.

"No…we were married just shy of a year when Clara Rose was born; but we'd known each other for four months before we got married. Why the twenty questions?" Jillian asked.

Dr. Little ignored her question and continued, "So, in all, you and your husband have known each other for a little shy of two years? That's not a lot of time to enjoy a relationship without the added burden of caring for a child, especially a baby. Babies take up a lot time, don't you agree?" When Jillian frowned at the man, he added a touch of concern to his voice and continued, "You know, sometimes, a young mother can become overwhelmed with caring for a little one; especially if her husband has a job in which he's not able to around on a consistent basis. Would you say that describes your husband, Mrs. Malloy? And maybe your feelings, as well? Maybe you have been a little overwhelmed with learning to care for the baby, and suddenly, you find that you are going to have another one. And here you are, out here in California, no family or friends, other than the friends you have met through your husband. Nobody to help out with the baby. That must have you a little rattled, huh?" He smiled sympathetically, and suddenly Jillian understood what he was trying to get at.

"Get out." Jillian ordered in a low voice. "I don't like what you're insinuating; get out now." She re-iterated.

"No, I can't do that Mrs. Malloy; I need for you to talk to me…tell me what you did with your baby."

Jillian was beginning to get upset as she emphatically replied, "I didn't _do_ anything with Clara Rose. She was _taken _from me by a woman in the park."

"Uhm-huh; I see in my notes that you were able to give a very detailed description. Most people can't recall such detail in a time of crisis. How is it that you were able to do so?" Now Dr. Little was staring at her, his beady little dark eyes were magnified behind the coke bottle thickness of his glasses.

Tears began to stream down Jillian's eyes and she could feel herself getting upset. "I just could…I have an…." He cut her off.

"What you have, Mrs. Malloy, is case of the after baby blues. It's okay if you don't feel capable of caring for your baby, but there are other options. Who did you give the child to, Mrs. Malloy? Is she safe right now? You really need to tell…"

"_NO!" _Jillian screamed, "I told you, I didn't _do_ anything with our baby! She was taken from me at the park. I don't know where she's at or who has her! I just want my baby back safely! Why can't you understand that?" By now Jillian was sobbing as she buried her face in her hands.

The doctor stood up, placed his hands on the bed and leaned in towards Jillian, "Look lady, you _know_ where that child is, and you know it, and _I_ know it! Nobody gives details like you did and not know; no way, no how…not under these kinds of stressful conditions. Now, _where_ is the baby?" He leaned in a little closer with his next menacing words, "Come clean now, and you can use the baby blues as a defense when you go to court, Mrs. Malloy. It will be easier on you in the long run."

Pete had stepped quietly into Jillian's room at that moment. He took in the scene of his wife crying and the doctor harassing her and he came unglued. Covering the distance between the door and the good doctor in three long strides, Pete grabbed the man by collar and spun him around. "Who are you and just what in the _hell_ do you think you are doing?" He demanded, anger flashing in his green eyes.

Dr. Little was completely surprised by the attack from behind, but that didn't stop him from speaking calmly to the angry man in front of him. "I take it that you are Mr. Malloy? I am Dr. Little, the staff psychiatrist. I was told to speak with your wife about the disappearance of your baby." His tone and air was completely haughty and that didn't set well with Pete.

"My wife already spoke to the police, and to the police sketch artist." Pete growled out as he stood there clenching his fists together, wanting nothing more than to slug the doctor for upsetting Jillian.

"Mr. Malloy, I assure you I mean no harm." The doctor held up his hands in a friendly gesture and then continued, "I am just tying to help find this baby."

"I told you, my wife has already told the police everything she knows; why are you questioning her and getting her all upset?" Pete had moved over to Jillian's side and was holding her as she cried.

"Mr. Malloy, often when a child of this age is missing, it has nothing to do with foul play, but everything to do with the fact that one, or both, of the parents are too overwhelmed to care for a little one. Often times they make arrangements to have the child taken, on the pretense of being kidnapped." The doctor shifted uncomfortably as Pete shot him an angry look.

"My wife had nothing to do with our baby being kidnapped. The woman that took Clara Rose is someone from my past; someone from a case that I was involved in, three years ago, before my wife even set foot in California. Now get out before I throw you out, myself!" Pete left Jillian's side and rounded the bed, advancing toward the doctor, as the doctor was backing toward the door.

_Did I hear him correctly?_ Jillian thought, as Pete's words began to sink in. _The woman is someone from Pete's past? Oh my God, if it's someone with a grudge against Pete then our little girl is in grave danger._

After the doctor backed out of the door, Pete returned to Jillian's side. He looked into her dark brown eyes, and saw a mixture of fear, anger, and hurt and he felt as though he'd been kicked in the gut repeatedly. He hadn't wanted her to find out about the kidnapper this way, he'd wanted to break it to her gently. She flinched when he reached out to take her hand, "Sunshine, I'm sorry that you had to hear it like that; I really wanted to tell you last night, but I couldn't. We know who has Clara Rose, and it's just a matter of time before we find out where she is. I'm sorry, honey; I am so sorry that our little one is in harm's way because of my job. I never, ever wanted my job to put our family in harm's way; you have to believe that, Sunshine."

He looked so distraught and broken, yet Jillian couldn't find the words or the strength to re-assure him. Part of her just wanted to scream at him and blame him for Clara Rose's kidnapping. But she didn't; instead she looked up him and asked, "Why, Pete? Why does this woman hate you so badly that she would want to take our baby?" Her gaze was steady and her voice quiet as her eyes bore into Pete's, expecting answers.

"Sunshine…she…I…well…"

"Spit it out, Pete. Don't beat around the bush and don't try any of your little 'sheltering' techniques." The anger flashing in her eyes was enough to shake Pete to the very core. "Damn it, Pete, tell my _why _this woman hates you so much that she would stoop to kidnapping an innocent child just to get back at you!" Jillian demanded.

Pete had never seen his wife this upset and angry at the same time. He hoped that her anger was directed towards the situation and the doctor's questioning, rather than towards him, yet he also knew that if anything happened to their little girl, Jillian would never be able to forgive him. He knew for sure that he would never be able to forgive himself. He suddenly felt his happy little world slipping away from him, but still, he knew that his wife deserved to hear the truth, and to hear it from him. "I shot and killed her father, during a bank holdup, eight years ago. Three years ago, I dated her sister. I didn't know who she was at the time and before I knew it, she was holding me hostage and had every intention of killing me, for revenge. She had already shot me in the shoulder when Vicki, the woman that took Clara Rose, walked in on the situation and her sister shot her, wounding her pretty good. Jim, Mac, and Jerry Miller figured out where I was being held at and basically stormed the place, killing Vicki's sister. Before I was released from the hospital, I went in to visit with Vicki and to offer my condolences in the loss of her sister. She gave me the impression that she didn't hold it against me...what happened to her sister. I guess she lied."

Jillian continued to stare unbelievably at Pete, as she let his words sink in, thinking, _Oh my God, he killed this woman's father, and he was involved with this psychopaths' sister, as well, leading to her death. Our baby doesn't stand a chance._

"You guess she _lied?_ You _guess _she lied? Gee, Pete, _ya think?" _Jillian threw her hands up in the air and she began to gesture wildly, as she often did with her hands when excited or upset about something, "Oh my God, our baby is in the hands of a psychopath, and not just _any _psychopath, Pete, but a psychopath who's entire family _you _were involved in taking out, and all you can stand there and say to me is that 'you guess she lied!' Okay, you know what, I can't deal with this right now. Get out! Go...just...just...GO!" The last part of the sentence punctuated with a deliberate gesture towards the door.

Pete drew in a deep breath, _Okay, she's not thinking rationally. _He stepped towards the bed, watching as Jillian's body began to shake violently and silent tears began to streak down her face. Pete leaned forward to put his arms around her; she pushed him away, lying down in the bed with her back to him. "I said Go! Get out…just leave me alone, please."

Pete was at a loss for words as Jillian's words cut through him like a knife. Jillian blamed him. _And why wouldn't she? _He rationalized to himself, _Oh God, what have I done? __If I hadn't of gotten involved with Vicki's sister, none of this would have ever happened. _Even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't as simple as that. He knew that he had no way of knowing, three years prior, that anything like this would happen. He knew it, yet that didn't do anything to make him feel less guilty. "I'll be back in a few minutes; I have to go sign the discharge papers."

Quietly, Pete turned and left the room as Jillian's anguished sobs cut him to his very soul and he found himself wondering if their love for each other was going to be strong enough to see them through this storm. Based on Jillian's reaction, he wasn't so sure that it would be, no matter what was to come, as his mind wandered back to the earlier days in their marriage when Jillian had a tough time dealing with his job...before his job threatened their family. Pete let out a tired sigh, as though the weight of the world rested heavily on shoulders.


	6. Chapter 6

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 6

Copyright June 2010

Clara Rose scrunched up her face and continued to scream the high-pitched tone that only an upset, hungry and wet baby, could emit, as Vicki scrambled around in the kitchen, heating the bottle of formula before going in and picking the baby up to change her.

"Now, now…quit your crying." She cooed at the little one, as she changed her diaper. "I'll have you changed and fed in no time."

Not having anything to do with the soothing attempts, Clara Rose's cries became incessantly louder as the minutes passed. Even with a clean and dry bottom, she was not a happy little camper. Vicki grabbed the heated bottle and sat down, making every attempt to feed the squalling child before she could wake the dead. The baby just wasn't having anything to do with the bottle.

"OH MY GOD! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" Vicki yelled, once again putting the screaming infant down and pacing the floor. "You leave me no choice, kid…I'm gonna have to take your mother, too!"

Vicki set about thinking up a way to lure Jillian to her, without the police knowing where she was going. Suddenly, she had the perfect idea as she took a pad of paper out of her purse and scribbled out a quick note. She then placed it in an envelope and wrote 'Mrs. Malloy' on the outside before sealing it and thinking, _Now…I just need to take it and place it somewhere and then make a phone call to make sure that Pete's little 'Mrs.' will go and get to it._

Turning her attention back to the baby, she was relieved to see and hear that the child had once again cried herself into a hiccup-laced sleep. She smiled at the little darling, covered her up with a thin blanket and went to take her shower.

* * *

Pete unlocked the front door and pushed it open for Jillian to go through. Mumbling a quiet 'thank you', she went in and walked over towards the sofa, pausing briefly to gaze at the newest picture of Clara Rose that was hanging on the wall. Pete hung back, letting her have her space; he knew that she didn't want him to intrude on her thoughts as she stared at the picture, as if she was trying to memorize every little detail of the child's features. It broke his heart to see the pain she was going through and he could feel the tension in the air. Jillian hadn't said two words to him on the trip home from the hospital.

"I'll uhm…I'll go make a pot of coffee…if you feel up to having a cup, that is. I know I could use one…" Jillian just turned and looked at him, not saying a word, then turned and walked to the sofa and sat down, staring at the phone, as Pete had done the evening before, willing it to ring. It didn't.

A short while later, Pete came around the side of the sofa and silently handed his wife a steaming cup of black coffee. "Thanks…" she mumbled, barely audible, and only making brief eye contact.

"You're welcome. Can I get you anything else?" Pete quietly asked.

"No." Jillian's reply was punctuated with a slight shake of her head as she continued to stare at the phone with a vacant look.

Pete sat down on the edge of the sofa, next to her, yet not making contact. He turned slightly and caught her eye. "Please Sunshine…don't shut me out; please." His eyes held a pleading look; an anguished, pleading look that tore through the bleakness that Jillian was feeling. She knew the pain that Pete had to be going through and she hated herself for being the one that had inflicted that pain when she'd said those awful things to him and snubbed his comforting embrace at the hospital that morning. She knew she had to say something to let him know that she didn't blame him; she just didn't know what to say. She was ashamed at how badly she had hurt him with her words. Pete wasn't to blame for someone else's actions and she knew it. The ability to rationalize wasn't one of her best qualities, but she knew that for Pete's sake she needed to make an effort, and the sooner the better. She couldn't help but feel that their marriage could easily become a casualty of this situation and she wasn't willing to risk that.

Leaning forward and setting her coffee cup on the coffee table, Jillian then reached for her husband and allowed him to put his arms around her. As they embraced, she apologized for her earlier actions, cutting him off when he spoke up and tried to justify those actions for her. "No, Pete, please, hear me out."

Pete nodded and Jillian continuted. "I am so sorry for blaming you. I never meant to hurt you. I know that this isn't your fault. You couldn't possibly have known that someday that woman would seek revenge. These are circumstances…circumstances beyond your control and beyond mine, and letting this tear us apart isn't going to help bring Clara Rose home…and that's the most important thing, right now…getting our baby home, safely."

Pete pulled Jillian a little closer to him and closed his arms a little tighter around her; the two sat, holding each other, both lost in their own silent prayers for the safe return of their daughter. It seemed to him that they sat there for a short eternity before the shrill ringing of the phone broke through the quietness.

_RING, RI..._

Jumping for the phone, Pete grabbed it in the middle of the second ring. "HELLO?" He nearly shouted, glancing to see that the tape recorder had turned on as soon as he picked up the receiver.

A familiar voice sounded on the other end, "Officer Malloy…I'll keep this short, I know you are mostly likely tracing this call. Tell your wife to check the payphone in Griffith Park, near the shelter house. She'll find instructions there. Do it in the next half-hour. No cops, either; including you. She comes alone or the little one dies." The phone went dead. Pete knew that the call hadn't been long enough for a trace. He looked down at the phone, then to Jillian.

"Was it her, Pete? What did she say?"

Nodding, Pete hesitated briefly, before telling her exactly what was said.

"Oh my God, I have to go." Jillian bolted off of the couch and tried to push by Pete, who caught her by the arms and stopped her short with an emphatic 'no'.

"What do you mean, 'no'? I have to go, and that's exactly what I am going to do. Don't try to stop me Pete, my little girl is grave danger and I am NOT going to sit here and let that woman do God only knows what to her! Now let me go!" Again Jillian tried to push past him, but her small stature was no match for him as he continued to hold her in place, despite her struggling against him. Finally, she relented and stood still, glaring at him with ice in her eyes.

"Listen to me for a minute." Pete demanded, "I'm gonna call the station and get some backup; then I'll call Jim, and after that, we'll leave. Go get ready, we only have a half hour." Pete said as he picked up the receiver and began to dial.

"NO!" Jillian screamed, as she reached out with lightning speed and snatched the phone receiver out of his hands. "You said that she said no cops. Pete…"

Just as fast on his feet as she had been, Pete snatched the receiver back and held it high above his head so she couldn't take it again.

"Damn it, Pete! Put that..."

Pete's booming voice cut her off short, "Jillian, I am _NOT_ going to let you go out there alone. Now we have to call the detectives; they will be able to cover you while you're in the park and she will never know that the police are involved."

"You can't be sure of that, Pete. You can't be sure that she isn't watching the house, right now. If she sees us leave together, she'll kill our baby, Pete…please…we have to do what she says! I have to go…and I have to go ALONE!" Jillian was pleading with him, tears streaming down her face.

Pete stood there, staring at his wife and torn between refusing to let her go alone, yet knowing that her point was a valid one. What if Vicki was watching the house, and they left together? Pete ran his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh, "I just don't understand why it is that she wants you, and not me. I'm the one that she wants revenge on." Pete began to think. He didn't like where his train of thought was leading. Was Vicki planning on doing harm to Jillian, as well? Taking out his whole family, now wouldn't that be the ultimate revenge for the psychotic woman? That thought left him as uneasy as long-tailed cat in a roomful of rockers.

"That's easy…unless she found someone to wet nurse Clara Rose, that baby is driving her crazy because she's hungry. Breast fed babies take some time to get used to drinking from a bottle…and they don't do it well when they are hungry and in unfamiliar surroundings. Clara Rose has probably done nothing but cry incessantly. Don't you see Pete, if I don't go, she may get tired of hearing her cry and fuss and then who knows what she'll do…" Jillian's voice trailed off.

"Of course, you're right." Pete realized that what Jillian had just called to his attention made perfect sense. He wasn't crazy about the idea of sending her off to the park alone, though, so he quickly formulated a plan that he didn't let her in on. "Okay, go ahead, get going."

Pete watched as she went to the bedroom to get her purse; he knew he could get the detectives in the park before Jillian got there if he acted fast, so while she was out of the room, Pete placed a call to Jerry Miller and filled him in, hanging up just before Jillian got back into the room.

After giving Jillian a few basic instructions, Pete kissed her, handed her the car keys to his car and watched her get in and back out of the driveway. Before she was even clear of the stop sign at the corner, he was on the phone to Jim and within minutes, Jim was there to pick him up in Jean's station wagon and they were headed toward Griffith Park as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 7

Copyright June 2010

Glancing around nervously as she got out of Pete's baby blue mustang, Jillian walked toward the shelter house payphone. She was visually scanning the area for any sign of the woman as she went. There were several couples and lots of children at the park, but none of the people resembled the woman that took Clara Rose.

Approaching the payphone, Jillian noticed a piece of paper taped to the phone, it read 'Out of Order'. Taking the paper off of the phone, Jillian turned it over and read the message on the back, _'Walk to the pond near the playground; in the parking lot, there will be a gray station wagon. Go to the passenger side and get into the back seat. Do not look inside the car or act suspicious in any way…and the police had better NOT be with you._

Jillian read the note a second time; she started to put the note in her pocket, but gut instinct told her that Pete, and probably Jim, had followed her, despite the warning from Vicki Greenfeld. If she pocketed the note, the guys wouldn't have any idea where she was going and she knew that in order to save Clara Rose, Pete would need to know where to go. She taped the note back on the phone and set off on foot towards the playground being careful to ensure that she was walking at as normal of a pace as she could. She knew that Pete would need time to get to the note and then to catch up to her, and yet still manage to be far enough behind, that Vicki Greenfeld wouldn't see him.

* * *

From the distance of about a city block, Pete and Jim sat in Jean's station wagon, Pete watching Jillian through a pair of binoculars. "She's taking down a piece of paper from the payphone." He told Jim. "Looks like she's reading the back…okay, she taped it back on the phone and she's walking east…let's move in, I want to see what that note says."

Jim started the vehicle and drove towards the payphone, stopping briefly so Pete could jump out and grab the note. He quickly read it and got back into Jean's car, urging Jim to cautiously follow Jillian.

"Hang back, but not too far. The note's telling her to walk to the playground by the pond and get into the back seat of a gray station wagon."

Jim put the vehicle in gear and drove slowly, while Pete once again trained the binoculars on his wife as she walked through the park.

"Okay, stop right here, next to this picnic area. I have a good view from here but if Vicki Greenfeld is checking out the surroundings, it might look suspicious if we just pull up and sit here; how about you get out and open the tailgate like you are here getting ready to have a picnic. Once she's in the car, and the car starts to leave, we'll follow. I don't see anyone in it, though." Pete was sitting low in the passenger seat, holding the binoculars up to his eyes so he could see whatever was going to transpire across the park.

"Got it." Jim casually got out of the car and walked to back, opening the tailgate and sitting down on it, as if he were looking through a cooler or something. Curiosity was getting the best of him. "What's she doing now?"

"Still walking; she's almost there." Pete supplied; and a few moments later, "Okay, she's at the car and getting ready to get in…"

Jim closed the tailgate and walked back to the driver's side and got in, starting the car when he heard Pete say, "She's in the back seat but I don't see any…wait, there's the driver, now." As if he had conjured her up, Vicki Greenfeld suddenly popped up behind the steering wheel and turned to quickly say something to Jillian. Pete wished he knew what it was, as he could clearly see his wife blanche at the woman's words.

* * *

"You had better hope that nobody followed you or you can forget about ever seeing that little brat of yours alive and well again, got it?" Vicki spouted, before turning around in the seat and starting the car. She glanced in the rearview mirror and reaffirmed her threat; "I mean it. If it looks like we are being followed at all, it's bye-bye baby girl." Vicki put the car in gear and slowly pulled out of the parking lot.

"We won't be followed. My husband doesn't even know I left the house; I waited until he was…pre-occupied…to leave." Jillian let the little white lie slip off of her tongue with such finesse that Vicki never suspected a thing.

"Good; now just sit still and shut up."

"Where's Clara Rose? Is she okay? Why are you doing this? Why did you take our baby?"

"Ha! I don't owe you any explanation, you know…but I'll give you one anyway. You may as well know that you are married to a cold-blooded killer."

"Pete's not a cold-blooded killer, he's a _police officer_ and he doesn't go around killing people for the _fun_ of it." Jillian retorted in a low voice. She didn't want to anger the woman, yet she felt a compelling need to defend her husband.

"He's a cold-blooded _MURDERER_!" Vicki screamed, causing Jillian to jump slightly. "He killed my father in cold blood, and he may as well have killed my sister, too! If she hadn't of gotten involved with him, she never would have gotten shot! He's a cold-blooded murderer!"

Jillian didn't respond; she was afraid of angering the woman any more than she already appeared to be angered. Instead, she repeated her other question, though she feared that she already knew the answer. "Why did you take our baby? She's just an innocent little child."

"You've heard of an eye for an eye, haven't you? Well, Pete Malloy killed my family, now it's time that I put him through the same pain that he put me through. One might refer to it as 'sweet revenge'." Vicki was seething with hate for Pete.

"Why? What will it prove if you hurt an innocent child?"

"_HE KILLED MY FAMILY! DON'T YOU GET IT?"_ Vicki shouted.

"And you want what you think is sweet revenge, is that it?" Jillian knew her voice was shaky, but she had to keep Vicki talking. She had to try and make her see that what she was doing was just wrong. Why not just kill me and be done with it. Why take your hate out on an innocent child?"

"It's not only sweet revenge, it's justice; like I said, an eye for an eye. Besides, I can't kill you yet, I need you for…other reasons."

Almost afraid of the 'why' behind Vicki Greenfeld wanting to hold her prisoner, Jillian ventured down another path. "But an innocent child? You would hurt an innocent child? Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to just keep the child and raise her as your own daughter? Wouldn't that be more revengeful…you know, drive the man crazy knowing that his daughter is out there somewhere…yet untouchable to him?" Jillian pleaded, hating the thought that their precious little girl was in the hands of this madwoman.

"Oh yes, I've thought of that, too. That's why I have kept the child alive and safe." Vicki didn't appear to have heard Jillian's sigh of relief at that bit of information. "It would drive your husband crazy to know that he'd never be able to see his daughter grow up…graduate from school, get married and have children of her own someday. And the whole time, it would eat him up to know that _I_ kept him from all of that. Ah yes, sweet revenge! And that's where _you_ come in, Mrs. Malloy. By the way, I loathe saying that pig's name…you got a first name?"

"It's Jill…and Pete's not a _pig,_ he's a policeman." Jillian quietly supplied, sneaking a quick peak at her watch. They had been driving ten minutes and traffic was not heavy. Jillian badly wanted to look behind her and see if she could spot Pete, but knew that would be a dead giveaway that they were most likely being followed.

Vicki ignored Jillian's defense of Pete, "Well, Jill, I have a little treat for you today."

"The only treat you could possibly give me, is my daughter, safe and sound."

"And that's just what I intend to do." Vicki countered.

As much as Jillian wanted to leap for joy, she knew the cards on the table weren't the black and white that Vicki just made them out to be. "What's the catch?"

"You are nursing that little bundle of brat, that you and that pig spawned, aren't you?"

Jillian's blood was nearing the boiling point again. She could stand a lot, but she couldn't stand to hear her child being called a 'brat' or her husband being referred to as a 'pig'. "Yes…I am breast feeding our _daughter_. Why, what's that have to do with anything?" Jillian asked, though she had a feeling that she already knew the answer to that.

"Simple…she won't eat for me. I brought the top of the line bottles and formula, and the little brat refuses to eat. All she does is cry, and cry, and _CRY! AND, I…AM…SICK OF IT!"_ Vicki shouted, again causing Jillian to jump in surprise, while thinking, _This woman is definitely mad. Oh, Pete, I hope I didn't call it wrong, I hope you are following us right now. There's no way I will be able to get us out of this by myself._

With Vicki's little outburst, she floored the accelerator, causing the vehicle to lurch forward erratically. She then made a sharp right hand turn onto a side street that Jillian was unfamiliar with. The turn was so quick and violent, that Jillian had to grab a hold of the back of the front seat in order to keep from flying sideways. If Vicki noticed, she didn't comment, instead she stared straight ahead and continued to gain speed as she drove onward.

* * *

"She's speeding up." Jim commented as he pressed a little on the gas pedal. They were about four car lengths behind the gray station wagon.

"Don't lose her, partner, but don't get so close that she sees us." Pete had the binoculars trained on the vehicle. "Ocean David X-ray six-two-two-seven-five. Now if we just had a radio in order to run the plate, we might find out where they are headed."

"Uh-oh, looks like she might have spotted us. Did you see the way she took that turn up ahead?" Jim said.

"Yeah, I saw it; looks like she's driving kind of erratically, too. Think she did spot us?"

"I don't know, Pete, we are pretty far back. Maybe Jillian said something to make her mad and that's why she's driving like that."

"Jillian?" Pete asked, surprised at the thought that Jillian might do something like that, but even more surprised at the idea that Jim thought that Jillian might do something like that.

Despite the tenseness of the situation, Jim let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, partner…Jillian. In case you haven't noticed, she doesn't exactly play docile when she's riled up about something. She more or less sits by quietly, waiting for the opportune moment to spring. Jean and I have picked up on that a time or two when the two of you have been 'discussing' things."

Pete looked a little chagrinned, "Hmmm…guess I hadn't really thought much of it, until you pointed it out. She does do that, doesn't she?"

"Yeah…"

Pete cut him off before he could say more, "How fast is she driving?"

"I'm about a block and half behind her, and I'm doing thirty-five; she's probably pushing forty…and this is a twenty-five mile an hour zone."

"Not to mention, it's a neighborhood with a lot of kids out." Pete added, as they passed several houses where there were children playing outside. "I hope none of these kids runs out into the street. Slow down a little."

"I don't want to lose 'em."

"And I don't want you to, but as long as I can keep them in sight with these, it'll be okay." Pete put the field glasses back up and looked through them. "Jim, I don't like this…she's weaving more than a basket maker." The car in his sights was all over the road, almost as if the driver were out of control.

* * *

"Can't you slow down?" Jillian asked, frightened by the way the crazed woman had begun to drive after turning the corner. "There are kids out on this street!"

Laughing eerily, "Then let's just hope the little brats don't run out in front of me! Watch this…let's play 'dodge 'em'…" Vicki began to weave from side to side on the road, laughing hysterically when she heard Jillian gasp and quickly suck in her breath in the back seat.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a car backed out of the drive on the opposite side of the street, "OH SHIT!" Vicki yelled, jerking the wheel to the right, but overcorrecting too much. The front end of the car connected with a parked car, Vicki jerked the wheel to the left, sending the car head on into the opposite lane, and then up onto the tree-lawn, coming to a jarring halt when it plowed into a telephone pole. Vicki's head bounced off of seat back and then slammed into the steering wheel before whipping back with a sickening snap of her neck. By the time the car came to rest against the pole, her head hung limply from her lifeless shoulders.

In the back seat, Jillian had tried to hang on, but was mercilessly thrown from side to side, and then into the back of the front seat; blackness overtook her as her body came to rest in a crumpled heap on the back floor board.

* * *

"Oh my God!" Jim exclaimed, pushing down on the accelerator, urging the car forward towards the accident as quickly and safely as possible.

Pete sat in the passenger seat, a look of pure horror on his face as he watched the car careen from one side to the next, coming to an abrupt rest up against a telephone pole. It felt like he was watching a bad movie. As Jim pulled up behind the vehicle, neighbors had begun gathering around the crumpled car. One lady was screaming, another was yelling for someone to call an ambulance, while several others had gathered around the driver's door, trying to get it open.

Pete jumped out of the car before Jim had even had it fully stopped. All he could think about was that his family was in that vehicle.

Slamming the car into park, Jim jumped out, yelling, "Pete, don't! Let me check…" but it fell on deaf ears, and he watched as Pete ran towards the crumpled vehicle.

"Move out of the way...get away…let me through! Someone call an ambulance and the police!" Pete demanded as he pushed his way through the crowd, Jim close behind him. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to reach in and yank Vicki from the drivers seat, but one look at Vicki's lifeless eyes told him that it was of no use to waste any time on even checking her pulse. Seeing Jillian on the back floorboard, he tried the rear door on the drivers' side, but it was jammed.

"Jim, try the passenger door; this one's jammed."

Jim ran around to the passenger side of the vehicle. He tried the front passenger side and the door opened easily. "Pete, I don't see the baby."

Pete, who had also been looking in the windows didn't see Clara Rose, either. "Me either, but check around in front real good, just to make sure and I will check back here."

Jim did a thorough check of the front seat and floorboards, but could find no trace of the baby. "Clara Rose isn't up here, Pete."

Pete had done a complete visual check of the back seat and the rear part of the station wagon, "She's not back here, either." He then turned his attention back to his injured wife, "Jillian's hurt; she's on the back floorboard." Pete ran around to the passenger side and opened the rear car door. Climbing in, he wanted nothing more than to scoop Jillian up and get her out of the car, but judging from the way she was laying, he knew better. "Jim, have someone call for the rescue squad…their gonna need to immobilize her before they try to move her…she's…her body is laying at a weird angle."

Jillian's right arm was lying at twisted angle that didn't look the least bit natural. Her lower extremities didn't appear to be out of whack, but she had a nasty bump already forming on the right temple area; Pete figured she had hit her head on the rear passenger window.

"Mmmm…mm…" Jillian moaned.

Pete gently placed a hand on her knee, patting it gently, "Shh…Sunshine, don't move honey, it's okay. We're gonna get you out of here in minute. It's alright." As he was talking, he was still visually checking the inside of the car for any signs of Clara Rose, but it was clear that the baby was not in the vehicle. Pete didn't know whether to be relieved at this revelation or not. On one hand, if the baby had been in the car, their nightmare would be over, but on the other, if she had been in the car, their nightmare may have just escalated, with the baby being injured…or worse. Pete didn't dwell on the latter thought and turned his attention back to Jillian.

"Mmmm..mm…Pete?" Jillian groaned and tried to move, stilling her attempts as the pain rocketed throughout her body.

"Shh…it's okay, Sunshine, I'm right here. You're okay." He wanted to ask her if Vicki told her where Clara Rose was, but Jillian had blacked out again. In the distance, Pete could hear the sirens.

Jim bent down and looked in, "How is she, Pete?"

Pete nodded slightly, "She'll be okay. She's banged up pretty good, but she was semi-conscious a minute ago. She'll be okay." Jim could hear the worry in Pete's voice. The sirens grew louder as they approached. First the police, then the fire rescue, and finally the ambulance. Reluctantly, Pete crawled out of the back seat so that the paramedics could get in and do their job.

Jim took Pete's arm and led him away from the car. He knew Pete well enough to know that if he were over there, he'd be in the way, trying to make sure that they weren't hurting Jillian while getting her out of the car. "She say anything about Clara Rose?"

Pete shook his head, "No, she moaned a little, but that's about it." He then looked up at Jim, "Vicki's dead, Jim. Where's our baby girl? How are we gonna find her, now?"

"We'll find her, Pete, don't worry. We'll find her." Jim wasn't feeling as confident as he tried to sound. While it was good that the baby hadn't been in the car when it had wrecked, it was bad because it meant that now that Vicki was dead, so were any leads on where the baby was being kept.

The paramedics made quick work of getting Jillian out and onto a backboard. After they had her out, they contacted the hospital with her vitals and reported on her condition. Then, loading her into the ambulance, they let Pete ride in with her to the hospital. Jim was going to stay behind and help gather details before heading over to the hospital.


	8. Chapter 8

Sweet Revenge

Chapter 8

Copyright June 2010

"Mr. Malloy, you can go in now, the doctor is finished checking your wife and he would like to speak with you." The nurse spoke quietly to Pete, who was standing near the soda machine, leaning with his head resting on his forearm. "Come this way, I'll show you."

Pete followed the nurse into the examining room where Jillian lay, sleeping peacefully. An I.V. had been placed in her left hand, and her right arm was wrapped and in a sling, resting across her abdomen. Pete's eyes landed on the nasty purple bruise that had taken up residence on her right temple. The doctor, who was looking at her chart when Pete came in, put it down and extended his right hand to Pete, who gave it a perfunctory shake. It was the same doctor that had taken care of Jillian a few days prior.

"Mr. Malloy, you're wife is going to be just fine. She's pretty well banged up, but she's healthy and she'll heal quickly.

"How bad was she hurt, Doctor?" Pete's voice was tinged with the worry that matched the look in his eyes.

"Her right shoulder and elbow were both dislocated, but we were able to re-engage them without a problem. She has a nice little goose egg on the right temple, and some nasty bruising to go with it, but once again, no concussion. She certainly has one hard head." The doctor chuckled at his own cleverness, trying to ease the mind of his patients' husband.

"Doctor, what about the baby?" Pete asked, concerned that the tumbling in the back seat of the car may have put the pregnancy at risk."

"That little tiny fetus is doing just fine. Lot's of protection in the womb, you know. We are going to keep your wife here for a few days, though, just to keep an eye on things. Any other questions?" The doctor asked.

"No…thanks, Doctor Nimmons."

"You're welcome. If you need anything, ring for the nurse." The doctor turned to leave, and then turned back, "Oh, Mr. Malloy?"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Did you find your little girl, yet?"

Pete shook his head.

"I see. I'm sorry. Please let the nurse know if you need anything." The doctor then turned and walked from the room, leaving Pete by Jillian's bedside with that feeling of 'dejavu'.

* * *

Jim had just finished up at the scene of the crash and was just about ready to climb into Jean's station wagon when he was stopped short at the sound of a woman's voice. It was a gray-haired lady that had approached the uniformed officer that was directing traffic.

"Officer…Officer…you hoo!" The lady walked toward the officer, giving the crumpled vehicle a quick glance.

Tipping his hat to her, the officer replied, "Yes Ma'am, what can I do for you?" It was clear that the woman was troubled about something, as she stood in front of the policeman, wringing her hands together in an anxious manner.

"Well, you see, it's my neighbor…I think she left her…" Suddenly, something flickered in the woman's eyes and she took another look at the crumpled heap. Pausing briefly, as recognition dawned on her, her hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh my GOD! Is that my neighbor? That's my neighbor's car, isn't it? At least I think it's her car. I've seen a couple of different ones over at her house."

The officer tried to keep the woman from getting any closer to the car, to no avail. She firmly pushed passed him so that she could take a better look. Her face paled to a deathly shade of white, "Oh my God! It _is_ her; it's my neighbor!" The woman started to sway as the officer reached out to support her. "Is she…is she…_DEAD_?" She was speaking loudly enough for Jim to catch bits and pieces of what she was saying as she began to frantically point at the car.

Jim's heart leapt with hope as he closed the station wagon door and hurried over to the hysterical woman and the uniformed officer. "Ma'am…excuse me, Ma'am; did I hear you say that this is your neighbor?"

The distraught woman looked up at him and nodded.

Jim nodded to the uniformed officer; "I'll take it from here, Frank." Turning back to the woman, Jim gently took her by the elbow to steady her. "Ma'am, we are gonna go over here and sit down in my car. Do you feel okay? I can have the paramedic check you out if you are feeling weak or anything."

The woman shook her head, "No, I'm alright, young man. I just never expected it to be someone I knew."

Jim saw his opening, "Ma'am, can you tell me exactly how you know this woman?"

Still visibly shaken, the woman kept glancing at the vehicle. She let out a gasp when the paramedics pulled Vicki's lifeless body from the car and placed her in body bag. Jim, still holding the woman by the elbow, continued to steer her away from the rescue workers and over to Jean's car.

Jim opened the passenger door of the station wagon so that Mrs. Anderson could sit down. "Ma'am, sit down right here and take a couple of deep breaths. I just need to ask you a few questions, do you think you are up to answering them? You're answers may be imperative to helping us out with an investigation involving this woman. Do you think you can you answer my questions?"

As if it were sinking in that Jim was speaking to her, the woman looked at him and nodded again before beginning, "Are you a police officer too, young man?"

Jim flashed her a brief smile, "Yes, Ma'am, I am; I am Officer Jim Reed. And you are…?"

"I'm Mrs. Anderson. I live just down the street." The woman made a sweeping motion with her hand, towards the end of the block. "That woman is…was…my neighbor. I saw the other officers down here and I was just coming down here to ask one of them to check on my neighbors' little baby. The poor little thing has been crying off and on all morning long. I didn't figure that my neighbor was home because I didn't see her car; this one or the one that she was driving earlier in the week."

"The other car?" Jim questioned. When they had run the plates on the wrecked vehicle, they had come back registered to a car rental company. Dispatch was trying to contact someone from the company to find out who had rented the vehicle, and what address they had given, but as of yet, they hadn't been able to obtain the information.

"Yes, she had a different car, earlier in the week; not that I make it a habit to go around spying on my neighbors, mind you."

"No, Ma'am, I didn't think that at all, now, please, go on." Jim urged.

"As I said, my neighbors' baby has been crying all morning and I finally decided that I just couldn't tune it out any longer; after all, it's my civic duty to help those in need." She affirmed with a curt nod of her head.

"And?" Jim's voice all but begged her to go on.

"Well, the poor child sounded awfully distraught, so I went over and checked to see if maybe the door was unlocked, but everything was locked up tight. I was just about ready to break out a small window on the back door, so that I could get in and check on the baby, when I looked down here and saw all of the police cars. I thought that maybe one of you gentlemen could check on the baby. Poor little thing; been crying all morning, you know."

Jim's heart did another leap and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was sure that the baby the woman was referring too was definitely Clara Rose. "Mrs. Anderson, I would be more than happy to check on the baby." As he was speaking, Mac pulled up and exited his police car. "Excuse me a moment, Mrs. Anderson; I need to speak with my sergeant and then we'll get down to your neighbors' house. Please, make yourself comfortable here in the car while you wait."

"Mac!" Jim hollered to him as they both crossed half the distance.

"What's going on, Jim?" Looking towards the vehicle and the body bag, "Is that her?"

"Yeah…she's dead; Pete's on the way to hospital with Jillian. Mac, that lady in Jean's car is Vicki's neighbor and she said that there's been a baby crying all morning long over at Vicki's; it's gotta be Clara Rose, Mac."

"Let's go! I'll follow you." Mac ran back to his police car and Jim ran to the station wagon and sped off down the street towards the house that Mrs. Anderson directed him to.

Arriving at Vicki Greenfeld's small, one story house, Jim rounded the vehicle and opened the passenger door. After making sure that Mrs. Anderson was okay he told her to go to her own house and that he or Sergeant MacDonald would be over to speak with her shortly. He then bounded up the sidewalk and up the steps leading up to front door of Vicki's house. Mac was close on his heels.

Inside they could hear a baby crying. It was like music to their ears.

"It's her, Mac…I'd recognize that wail anywhere…she's got her daddy's lungs." The ear-splitting smile on Jim's face made the sun pale in comparison.

"Kick it, Jim." Mac ordered, with a broad smile gracing his own face.

Jim took a step back, raised his right leg and kicked the front door open. The odor that met them was ripe, to say the least. Inside the small living room, Clara Rose was lying in a blanket lined dresser drawer that was sitting on the sofa. It was obvious that the little one needed a diaper change in a major way. Jim and Mac both wrinkled their noses as they approached the baby. Looking her over, it appeared to the both of them that other than needing her diaper changed and being hungry, Clara Rose was unharmed. They both let out sighs of relief.

"Uncle Jim, I think Clara Rose needs tended to."

"Uhm…yeah…ya think? You know Mac, she might want her godfather to do the honors." He gave Mac a hopeful look.

"Nothin' doin'…I have to go question the neighbor; what'd you say her name was, again?"

Defeated, Jim offered, "Anderson…Mrs. Anderson."

As Mac went back outside, Jim was picking up the necessary changing items from the nearby coffee table. He then picked up Clara Rose who was still screaming at the top of her lungs. He began to sing to her as he set about quickly changing the little girl. Afterwards, he went to the kitchen and found a clean bottle, filled it with room temperature water and offered it to the baby as he held her in his arms, singing softly to her. He knew that she was probably hungry and he also knew that it would be a long ten-minute ride to the hospital if he couldn't get her to quiet down. After several attempts at grasping the nipple in her small little mouth, she greedily drank in a couple of ounces. Jim prayed that it would be enough to hold her until they got to Central Receiving.

* * *

Pete startled awake at the sound of a baby crying. He figured that he must've dozed off and began dreaming. The baby in his dreams sounded just like Clara Rose, only now, even with his eyes open, and obviously being awake, the crying seemed to be getting louder…and closer. He was just standing up from his chair when Jim pushed through the door, carrying a very unhappy Clara Rose. Pete was speechless; misty-eyed and speechless, as Jim crossed the room and held out Clara Rose to her daddy.

Pete took her, stunned that he was really holding his baby girl. "Where? How? Jim?"

"She's okay, Pete. She's hungry…and not too happy right now…but she's alright." Jim gave him a quick rundown of events and then said, "I'm gonna go get the doctor so he can check her over for you…put your mind at ease." Jim clapped Pete on the shoulder and turned to leave the room to search for the doctor, stopping short and turning around when Pete called out to him.

"Thanks, Jim…for everything."

"No thanks needed, Pete…you would've been there for us if the tables would've been turned."

Pete nodded as Jim left the room.

"Clara Rose?" Jillian had been in a semi-sedated state. Hearing her baby, she fought the effects of the relaxing painkiller and repeated, "Clara Rose?"

"Yeah, Sunshine…it's our baby…it's Clara Rose." Pete moved to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, holding Clara Rose so that Jillian could see her.

"Is she okay, Pete? Is she?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine, Sunshine; a little unhappy, but fine." Pete was busy checking over the baby.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, but just the same, Jim went to find the doctor." The baby continued to cry loudly. He smiled broadly and cooed at the fussy child. "She sure is unhappy though, huh?" He stood up to walk her around the room.

"Hungry, Pete…she's hungry...that's her hungry cry. Help me feed her…" Jillian struggled and as she tried to push herself into a sitting position.

"Honey, I'll get a nurse and have her get a bottle, you can't…"

"I can, Pete…I have to…help me, please." Struggling a little more, Jillian managed to sit up a little higher, fighting the dizziness that was making the room twirl around her.

"Uhm…okay, uhm…what do you want me to do?" Pete was a little lost at how to even begin to help his wife feed their daughter, so Jillian talked him through it and soon the awkwardness slipped away and Clara Rose was nursing happily.

The doctor came in, followed by Jim, who took in the scene before him and then quickly excused himself before leaving the room.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Dr. Nimmons smiled as he approached the bed and looked down at the baby happily nursing away. He took in the site of the small family gathered together and couldn't help but feel a wave of gladness come over him. He was happy that the family had been brought back together.

Pete stood up from where he sat on the edge of the bed and shook the doctor's hand. "Dr. Nimmons, thank you for coming in so quickly."

"Well, when you're friend out there came and told me who was here, I had to drop everything and come and meet this little bundle; that and I want to check her over just to ease your minds." He stepped closer to the bed and asked Jillian, "How does she seem to be feeding? Any hesitation or problems?"

"No; she's like a little barracuda! I don't think that woman fed her at all!"

"Yes, well, when she's finished, I will check her over. I don't want to disturb her right now because I think this is something that you both need. Don't be surprised if she sleeps for a little while after her feeding; after all, you have a mild sedative and pain killer going in through that I.V. line so she's bound to be getting a small amount of it, as well."

Jillian's face went ash white, "Oh my God, I didn't even think about that!" Jillian proclaimed.

"Doctor, will it be safe for Jillian to finish nursing her?" Pete questioned with concern.

"Oh yes, it will be fine. I will order a slightly lighter pain killer for Jillian, and I trust that now that the baby has been safely returned, sleeping shouldn't require any type of sedation. I would still like to keep both of these little ladies here, at least overnight, though."

"Of course." Pete agreed.

"Now, if the three of you will excuse me, I will leave you to your reunion and I will make my way back here in an hour or so and give her the once over."

Pete and Jillian thanked the doctor before he walked out of the room. Pete turned back and sat down on the edge of the bed again, lightly stroking Clara Rose's forehead with his right hand. As if sensing her daddys' presence, Clara Rose's little hand latched on to the pinky of Pete's left hand, which was gently holding the little one's hand as she nursed. The fragility of life's normalcy never seemed more apparent to Pete than at that moment.

Sensing that Pete was deep in thought, Jillian brought him out of his private reverie, "Pete, is there any chance that she is going to come back and try this little number again, or will they put her away?"

Realizing that his wife didn't know the full extent of what had happened to Vicki, he chose his words carefully. "No, Sunshine; there's no chance of that happening." He then went on to tell her all that had transpired after the accident.

"She's dead, then." Jillian stated more than questioned.

"Yeah, she's dead. She broke her neck in the car accident. With the way you were tossed around in the backseat, it's lucky that you weren't hurt worse."

Jillian became very quiet for a moment and then asked, "Pete, would you think I am a bad person for saying that I am glad that she can't hurt our family any more? Does that make me a terrible, heartless person?"

Pete had never known his wife to wish ill on anyone, or to be glad that anyone had lost their life, but he understood the motives behind her questions.

"Sunshine, I don't think that wanting our family to be free from harm makes you a bad person; I also don't think that you are so much glad that she's dead as you are relieved that she can't do anything more to us. So, no, I don't think that makes you a terrible person…not at all; I think it makes you human…makes both of us human, because I am glad that she can't do anything else to us, too." He bent forward and kissed Jillian lightly on the lips.

"I think Clara Rose is finished eating now." The baby had fallen into a contented sleep, fully relaxed and her tiny lips still puckered slightly. Jillian yawned, "Why don't you go find Jim and the two of you can go grab a cup of coffee while Clara Rose and I take a little siesta. I think he was little embarrassed at seeing Clara Rose nursing."

"Uhm, yeah, I think he was…just a little. You want me to take her down to the nurse so she can put her in the nursery so that you can relax?"

"No; I'm not ready to let our little angel out of my sight anytime soon. Just tuck that extra pillow between the bed rail and my arm, if you will, please. She looks like she's out of it for a little bit so we'll be okay."

"Yeah…I know you will." As he watched his wife and daughter, he pondered whether or not they would be better off back in Maine with Jillian's family. He never wanted his job to put his wife and daughter in dangers' way again.

Jillian could sense that something else was on Pete's mind. "Pete, what? What is it?"

"I was just wondering if…well, I was wondering if you've thought about…" He dropped his eyes and focused on something on the floor, not finishing his sentence.

"Thought about what, Pete?" Jillian asked. She wasn't used to her husband being so 'round about' and unsure of his words, especially when he wouldn't look her in the eyes while he was trying to ask a question.,

"Have you…well, have you given any thought to taking Clara Rose and going home…to Maine…to your folks' house?" There, he'd said it. Now all that was left to do was brace himself for Jillian's reply. It was too much to hope that she would say that she hadn't. He wasn't stupid and he knew that this ordeal had probably really had her rattled. He continued to stare at the spot of nothing on the floor.

Finally, Jillian spoke. "Well...yeah; I've been thinking about it for a long time." Though he wasn't looking at her directly, Jillian could've sworn she saw his eyes take on a hurt look. "I am really looking forward to seeing everyone this summer."

Pete finally looked up at her, there was no mistaken the pain in his eyes, and in his voice, as he spoke. "I mean now, Sunshine. Have you thought about going home, now?" _Without me…home to Maine, to stay…where you and Clara Rose will be safe from the dangers of fallout from my job? _Pete's unspoken words hung heavy in the air, but only in his own mind, as Jillian had never once even considered that to be an option. Her next words started the wheels spinning that would help to put Pete's mind and heart at ease.

"Why would I want to go now when you'll be on vacation in a another few months and we'll go as planned. I can certainly wait _that_ long to see my family."

Pete had dropped his gaze once again as he listened to her answer; after hearing it, he looked up at her and could see her love for him shining in her eyes, "You're sure?" He softly asked, not daring to breathe easy, just yet.

"I'm positive Pete; but, I am curious why you would ask me that."

"Well..." A heavy, deep breath, followed by a sigh and then silence, as Pete shrugged his shoulders slightly, before adding, "It's because of my job, Sunshine. I just thought that with all that has happened in the last couple of days, and because it happened because of my job, I just thought that maybe you'd be having second thoughts about life as a policeman's wife."

"Hmmm...I see; and you think that by me and Clara Rose moving back to Maine, we'd be safe, is that it?"

"Yeah...something like that."

"You know Pete, for somebody that deals with hardened criminals day in and day out, you're kind of timid when it comes to dealing with me...your own wife. Now, if I didn't have one arm wrapped around our daughter, and one in a sling right now, I'd shake some sense in to you. But, since both arms are busy, you'll just have to let this sink in without the benefit of me shaking it into you. Wherever I am, I am always going to be your wife; the wife of a policeman. I can deal with that, Pete. When I took that vow to be your wife, I didn't say 'until I decide I can't handle it any longer', I said, 'til death do us part', and I meant just that. Granted, it took me some time to be able to deal with the fears that come with being the wife of a policeman, but the main thing is, I learned to cope with those fears. They are still with me, everyday, when you leave the house...and they don't leave me...but they don't consume me, either."

"I know, but that was before we had a family; before my job put our family at risk. We have a little one to think about now...and another one on the way."

"Yeah, we do, and I can't think of a more complete way to raise these little ones, than together...as husband and wife; not apart, Pete, but together. Whether you're a policeman or a factory worker, or salesman, or...or...or, whatever. The main thing is, we're a family, and a family stays together, through the good _and_ the bad; they don't go runnin' the other way when tragedy strikes, they support each other."

"I just thought that..."

"Pete, you don't have to say it, I already know what you thought, and I know why you were thinking it." Jillian knew that she'd hurt Pete with her reactions to the events of the last few days and she knew that her actions were the source of this sudden marital insecurity. "My reaction to everything that has happened hasn't done much to re-affirm to you how much I love you, and our life together...and I am sorry. I am so very sorry that I wasn't stronger…for you; that I wasn't there for you, like you were for me. I hope you can forgive me for that, and I hope that if I _ever _give you reason to think that I am not one hundred percent committed to being your wife, that you will stop me short in my tracks and _make_ me talk things over with you. I don't want you to ever have any doubts about my love for you...no matter what the circumstances, okay?"

Pete had once again dropped his gaze from hers, he wanted to believe that she meant every word of what she had just said, and had he been looking her in the eyes, he would have seen the sincerity that lay within them.

When he didn't say anything, Jillian spoke up again, "Look at me, Pete. Look me in the eyes...please?" Pete did as she bade, and Jillian continued. "I don't know what it's going to take to convince you Pete, but I love you, and I love being your wife, and I love being Clara Rose's mom, and I love that we are going to have another little one, too...and maybe even ten more after that..."

"_WHAT?" _The look of pure shock on Pete's face was priceless, affording just the right amount of tension release that Jillian had hoped for. "Now wait a minute, Sunshine...let's not jump the gun on that number of children."

Jillian giggled and Pete realized that she wasn't serious...or so he hoped. As they shared a tender kiss, the weight of the world that Pete had been carrying on his shoulders the past few days seemed to lighten up and float away.

Breaking away from the kiss after a moment, Pete placed a gentle kiss on Clara Rose's forehead, "Okay, Sunshine, I'm convinced." The look on his face and in his eyes told Jillian that he had finally realized that she meant every word of what she had just said to him. "Now, if you're sure you don't need anything else and that you two will be fine for a bit, I'll go find Jim now so that you two can rest. I won't be gone long. I love you; both of you; well, all _three_ of you, actually" Pete reached out and gently patted Jillians' stomach.

"And we love you too; now get out here before I have to ring the nurse and have you tossed out on your fanny!" Jillian chuckled.

"You are just ornery enough to do that, too, aren't you?" Pete chuckled as he walked toward the door, stopping long enough to turn and glance back at his wife and daughter.

"You betch'ya I am…now git!" Jillian's eyes were closed and she had a contented smile on her face, and Pete knew, at that very moment, that everything was going to be alright between them; he knew that their love for each other would continue to see them through even the most tumultuous of storms.

The End

Many thanks to everyone that has taken time out of your busy schedules to read and review this story. Both I and a1965chameleon hope that you have enjoyed this co-authored story. We have tossed around a few ideas for a future co-story venture, but for now, we are both pursuing individual stories, as well. Once again, many thanks for your time.

rookiegirl and a1965chameleon


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